


Dream House

by breathingdestiel



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Reality Show, Bisexual Dean Winchester, Bottom Dean, Castiel & Dorothy Baum Friendship, Celebrity Dean, Columnist Castiel, Dean/Cas Big Bang Challenge 2017, Demisexual Castiel (Supernatural), Depressed Dean, Depression, Dom/sub Undertones, F/F, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Friends to Lovers, Gardener Castiel, Gardens & Gardening, Happy Ending, Inspired By Property Brothers, Jealousy, M/M, Mentiones of homophobia, Minor Aaron Bass/Dean Winchester, Minor Dorothy Baum/Charlie Bradbury, Minor Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Past Traumatic Experience, Stalking, Top Castiel, Topping from the Bottom, mentioned switching, one kiss between dorothy and cas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-16
Updated: 2017-11-16
Packaged: 2019-02-03 06:02:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 26,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12742434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/breathingdestiel/pseuds/breathingdestiel
Summary: Castiel Shurley and his best friend Dorothy Baum have decided to move in together. After his aunt assumes they are dating, she offers them money for the house, but only if they apply for a famous reality show ‘Dream House’. Since they could use the money and he doesn’t want to come out to his aunt, Castiel and Dorothy agree to fake date for the show. But things go wrong when Dorothy falls in love with the show’s producer and Castiel starts to develop feelings for one of the hosts.Dean Winchester is a co-host of ‘Dream House’, along with his brother. Sam, being a realtor, finds a fixer-upper and Dean turns it into a perfect house for their clients. Even though he has what most people only dream about, Dean is incredibly lonely. He had bad experiences with relationships in the past and he doesn’t think he will ever meet anyone who can earn his trust. Until he meets Castiel.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here it is, finally! 
> 
> First of all, I want to thank my wonderful artist Audrey (dreym) for creating such an amazing art for this fic. Check it out on her [tumblr](http://dreymart.tumblr.com/post/167558060454/here-we-go-again-this-was-my-first-time-making-a)!!
> 
> Furthermore, I'd like to thank Christina (SPNgreeneyes) for being my beta and making the fic much more readable! 
> 
> This story was inspired by Property Brothers, but it's not necessary to know anything about it. I don't know anything about what happens behind the scenes of that show, so everything you read is my own interpretation.

“I’m not _talking_ to the flowers, Gabriel!” Cas growled.

“Okay, chill bro. I was just joking.”

Cas forced himself to take a deep breath. _Communicate your feelings._

“I didn’t mean to yell, but I would appreciate if you didn’t joke about my gardening. When you mock me like that, I get a feeling that you don’t take me seriously. Gardening is very important to me. I wish you would respect that,” Cas finished with a small smile. Maybe this communication idea wasn’t so bad after all.

“I’m sorry, Cassie. You know I’m just messing with you.” Gabriel turned around in his seat to face Cas. “So was this you talking or Pamela?”

Pamela Barnes was an advice columnist in the same newspaper that Cas had his column about gardening. Much like Cas, she took her job seriously and could always be seen giving advice to her friends coworkers.

Rolling his eyes, Cas responded, “Pamela gave me some useful advice. Maybe you should try it. It helps in situations where you’re angry or-”

“Maybe you should give me Pamela’s number, so she can give me this advice herself.” Gabriel wriggled his eyebrows, earning himself a jab to his side. 

“Everything is about sex with you,” Cas grumbled.

“ _Nothing_ is about sex with _you_ , so I guess I inherited the sex gene.”

Cas huffed. His brother can be insufferable, but in the end he was Cas’s biggest supporter. He had been the one who defended Cas when he told their aunt he wanted to be a journalist. Gabriel had also been the first person Cas told about questioning his sexuality. After hours of research they had done together, Cas decided that homoromantic demisexual described him the best and Gabriel accepted him without a second thought.

Lost in his thought, Cas almost failed to notice that the car in front of them had abruptly stopped and he hurried to slam the brakes.

“Fuck!”

“Jesus, Cas. Are you trying to get us killed? I know you aren’t a big fan of our auntie, but this is no way to get out of visiting her.”

“It’s not my fault some idiot decided to stop in the middle of the road.”

“The light’s red, Cas.”

Frowning, Cas looked up and yes, Gabriel was right.

“Maybe I should drive now. You’re out of it.”

“No, no. I’ll be fine.”

He would be fine once he was back home and not at his aunt’s house. As much as he was grateful to Amara for raising him and Gabriel, he did not want to be subjected to hours of “When will you find some useful job” or “You need to go out more often. How are you going to meet a girl if you spend all your time in that garden?” He shudders at the thought of her finding out about his sexuality. It would probably be hell to be around her.

“Okay,” Gabriel drawled. “I think Pamela would be disappointed, but since I am such a great big brother, I’ll let you change the subject. ”

“How generous of you,” Cas snarked, but he really appreciated Gabriel’s offer. After a few moments of silence, Cas remembered what he wanted to share. “Dorothy and I are thinking about buying a house together.”

“Really? Good for you. I guess you’ll finally get that big garden you’ve been whining about for years now.”

The traffic light turned green and the cars started to move.

“Finding a perfect house is much harder than it seems. And we don’t really have a lot of money, so I don’t want to get my hopes up.”

“I’m sure you’ll- Dude!” Gabriel exclaimed and grabbed Cas by his arm.

“What the-? I’m driving!”

Without giving any sign that he heard, Gabriel continued, “You should apply to ‘Dream House’. They’ll design your perfect house and you’ll get to meet the hotties.”

‘Dream House’ was a reality show in which participants bought a house and had it renovated. The hotties in question were the hosts of the show, Sam and Dean Winchester, most girls’ wet dreams. The concept of the show was simple: Sam, a realtor helped people buy a house which was, of course, in a terrible shape. Then Dean, a renovator, turned that house in a gorgeous dream house.

“No, thank you. You know all of that is fake, right? And I’m not interested in playing a fool on television.”

Gabriel sunk back into his seat and pouted. “You’re no fun.”

The rest of the ride passed without words and only rain as a background sound.

* * *

 “Castiel, dear, how’s that friend of yours? Dorothy, right?” Amara asked in the middle of their dinner.

“She’s good. Traveling a lot as always. She’s in Brazil now, actually.”

“Hmm, that’s nice,” Amara said.

Castiel nodded, but his aunt paid him no attention.

“They are moving in together,” Gabriel said with his mouth full.

“Really?” Amara smiled and turned to look at Cas who was trying to unnoticeably send his brother a death glare.

“Perhaps. We’re looking for a house.”

“That’s great, Castiel,” Amara said, looking happiest and proudest she had ever been when Cas was in question. He wasn’t sure what exactly made her that happy, but she seemed to move on from the subject and he wasn’t crazy enough to return to it.

For a moment, he thought he was off the hook, but then he saw Gabriel smirking and he knew his brother was up to no good.

“They’re actually going to be on ‘Dream House,’ you may have heard of it.”

Cas ground his teeth. Gabriel knew very well about their aunt’s obsession with the show. Damn him.

“Oh, Castiel, that’s amazing! I hope you’ll mention me. You know how much I love that show, especially Dean,” Amara sighed wistfully.

“We haven’t actually applied yet, nor talked about it, so it probably won’t happen.”

“But it must,” Amara insisted with wide eyes. “I’ll make you a deal, if you and your girlfriend go on ‘Dream House’ I will add $100, 000 to your budget.”

Stunned with the offer, Cas could do nothing but gawk at his aunt— she had never been so generous. The show must really mean a lot to her. He glanced at Gabriel for advice and saw him frantically nodding his head. It struck him: of course he should accept. This was a one-time opportunity.

“Okay,” he said. “I’ll talk to Dorothy when she comes back.”

“I’m so happy, Castiel. This all I’ve ever wanted for you: a nice girlfriend and a beautiful home where you will be able to raise your children.”

It dawned on him that she thought he and Dorothy were in a relationship and his eyes widened. He’d been so dazed by the money that he hadn’t registered it at first, but now he didn’t know what to do. If he told the truth, she may take back her offer and he and Dorothy could really do with that amount of money.

Finally, he spoke, “Yes, we are very happy together.” He attempted to smile. “But it may be too soon to talk about children.”

“Nonsense, you two aren’t getting any younger.”

Cas cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. When he looked at Gabriel, his brother had his eyebrows raised. Shrugging slightly, he tried to convey that he had no idea what he was doing, but that Gabriel should go with it.

Apparently, Gabriel got the message, “So, now that Cas is finally in a relationship, does that mean you’ll move on to me?”

Amara snorted, “Don’t be ridiculous. Even I’m not crazy enough to try and get _you_ to settle down.”

“Smart,” Gabriel said as he raised his glass and proceeded to talk about his job.

Cas slumped in his chair and drained his glass of wine. What did he get himself into?

* * *

Dorothy Baum was Cas’s best friend, even though he only saw her every few weeks. But that was who she was— an eternal wanderer— and he wouldn’t change a thing about her. She was one of the rare people who understood him and he didn’t know where he would be without her.

They’d met seven years ago when she joined the newspaper where Cas worked. Her job was to travel and write guides and reviews of different places she visited. Obviously this meant she was always on the road, always traveling. For that reason Cas had been surprised when she suggested that they buy a house together. She didn’t want to live with her dad anymore when she was in Lawrence, so she begged him until he relented.

They would split the cost between them, but Cas would be the one living in the house most of the time. It wasn’t a bad idea, especially because it meant he would finally have a proper garden, one just for him. At the moment, he lived in an apartment complex and while the building had a garden on the roof, it was small and communal.

His love for gardening had started when he was a child. He and his father would spend hours in their garden, taking care of all the different plants. That was actually one of rare memories Cas had of his father.

The doorbell interrupted his reminiscing and he hurried to open the door.

“Cas!” Dorothy exclaimed and threw her arms around Cas.

“Dori, I missed you,” he said as he hugged her back tightly.

“Missed you too, bug.”

They parted and he pulled her into the living room, eager to hear about her adventures. Knowing Dorothy, he was in for hours of stories.

“I already miss the sun,” Dorothy sighed, “It’s so fucking cold here.”

“Well, it _is_ November. You’ll get used to it soon,” Cas smiled, “Or you’ll find some other sunny place to visit.”

Dorothy laughed, “Yeah, that’s more like it. So tell me what’s been going on in your life?”

Cas shrugged, “Nothing much, really. Except- um…” He trailed off as he remembered the promise he made to his aunt.

“Except?” Dorothy prompted. “Did something happen?”

He wasn’t sure how Dorothy would react, but he hoped she wouldn’t be mad. “Gabe and I visited Aunt Amara.”

“Uh,” Dorothy grimaced, making Cas laugh.

“Long story short, she believes you and I are dating and she offered us $100,000 if we apply to that show, ‘Dream House.’ Of course we won’t get the money until we’re accepted which may take several months. I looked it up,” Cas finished.

Dorothy raised an eyebrow and took a sip of her beer, “I have to say, I didn’t expect that. Is she really going to give us all that money?”

He nodded, “She was very serious, yes.”

“And she thinks we’re a couple? How come?”

“She presumed and I didn’t correct her because she might have not given us the money then. And Dori, we could really use it. There’s quite a difference between a $500,000 house and a $600,000 house.”

“Yeah, you’re definitely right,” Dorothy said, “So that’s settled then. We’re going to be on ‘Dream House,’ boyfriend.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, this is perfect actually. Maybe my dad will finally back off now that I have a boyfriend.” Dorothy winked before groaning, “Ugh, he’ll probably be so happy that I finally decided to be straight.”

“I’m sorry.” He squeezed Dorothy’s hand. “Maybe he’ll come around one day,” he said, but doubted it. Her father had known about her bisexuality since she was 18 and he still hadn’t accepted it.

“Nah, I don’t think so. But it’s okay as long as I have you, bug.” She ruffled his hair.

Smirking, he pulled her into a hug. “I love you too, Dori,”

That night they went over some details of their plans and before she went home, slightly tipsy, Dorothy whispered in his ear, “You’d better not get me pregnant,” and smacked his ass.

He was sure all his neighbors heard his laughter.

 

Dean hit the snooze button for the third time. He was about to burrow his head back in his pillow when he heard rapid knocking at the front door. Groaning, he forced himself to get up and see who dared to interrupt his sleep.

“What?” He barked as he opened the door.

His brother stood there with his arms crossed. “I knew you were going to oversleep. I told you-”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll listen to you next time,” Dean said, making Sam snort, and hurried back to his bedroom, so he could get dressed. Maybe his brother was right and he shouldn’t have stayed out so late last night, but Dean would never admit it out loud.

“C’mon, Dean. We’re going to be late. You don’t want to piss Charlie off on the first day,” Sam yelled from downstairs.

“I’m coming!” As quickly as he could, he brushed his teeth and put on some clothes, before joining his brother outside the house.

Sam had driven his own car to Dean’s house, but by unspoken agreement between them, they left in Dean’s Impala after Sam had given him the address.

“Shit, I missed this,” Dean said as he looked at the familiar streets. They hadn’t been in Lawrence for more than six months.  “Thank God for…” he made a vague gesture to the papers in Sam’s hands, not being able to remember the names of the participants.

“Oh, um, Stephanie and Kim and… Dorothy and Castiel,” Sam read.

“What kind of name is Castiel?”

“It’s an angel name.”

“Of course you’d know that,” Dean scoffed.

“Actually, I didn’t, but Eileen told me.”

“Ha, your wife is a bigger nerd than you are, who would’ve thought,” Dean teased, but he knew it wasn’t strange Eileen knew something like that considering she was a mythology and folklore professor.

“She’s not my wife yet,” Sam said as a small, terribly sappy smile appeared on his face. “Not until June.”

Dean sighed and forced a smile on his face. He was happy that his brother was in love, he really was, but sometimes he couldn’t help but feel jealous. “Yeah, well three months is practically nothing.”

“Three and a half, actually.”

Dean rolled his eyes, but before he could say anything Sam’s phone rang.

Sam let out an annoyed huff, “It’s Charlie. She’s most likely pissed that we’re late,” he said before he answered. “Hey, Charlie… No, we’re close. 20 minutes max… Can’t you film the introductory scene without us… Already?… Uh-huh… Yeah, it’s Dean’s fault… Okay, bye.” Sam hung up the phone and turned to Dean.

“They’re already done with the introductory scene and now they’re waiting for us to continue.”

“Why did you say it was my fault?”

“Because it is, jerk.”

“Whatever, bitch,” Dean smiled, “Tell me about today’s couple. I read it, but I don’t remember much.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t have read it drunk, then,” Sam said, but obliged. “Dorothy Baum, 33 and Castiel Shurley, 35. Both are columnists, she likes to travel and is often away, he likes gardening-”

Dean snorted before he could think better and Sam fixed him with a sharp glare.

“Don’t be an asshole.”

“I wasn’t- Okay, fine, I’m sorry. Gardening is very manly and I’m going to take it seriously,” he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He hadn’t meant to be rude at first, but Sam’s accusatory tone hit a nerve.

“What the fuck is wrong with you? You’re such an asshole lately. Did you forget that your favorite hobby is cooking, which is perfectly fine, but many would consider it unmanly? You weren’t like this before.”

Dean shifted in his seat and refused to look at Sam, glaring at the road in front of him. He had been a bit of a dick lately, but most people in Hollywood were dicks, so why shouldn’t he be allowed to.

“And you’ve been drinking a lot lately too,” Sam said and continued more softly, “Dean, whatever is bothering you- you know you can talk to me about it.”

“It’s nothing, Sam.”

When Dean side-glanced at Sam, he looked deeply in thought.

“It started a month ago or so, I think,” Sam spoke more to himself than Dean. “No, wait, even before. It was at your birthday… When you got plastered and yelled at poor Garth.”

“He deserved that,” Dean muttered under his breath.

“When was the last time you talked to anyone but Charlie and me?” Sam inquired further. “What happened to Benny and Lisa? You just stopped mentioning them. And when was the last time we hung out with Jo and Anna outside work? Did you even apologize to Garth?”

“Jesus, Sammy. Just let it go! They’re busy. I’m busy. It’s no big deal.”

Sam frowned as he bore his eyes into Dean. “Are you- Is this like some kind of midlife crisis?”

Dean kept his mouth shut. So what if he got a little freaked out about his age? So what if he was painfully lonely and hopeless about ever finding anyone who would love him? So what if he stopped hanging around with most of his friends because they were all in relationships, or he got to the point where he could barely stand to look at Sam and Eileen being all lovey-dovey? He would get over it eventually; he just needed to blow off some steam.

Sam must have taken his silence as a yes because he continued, “Dean, you’re 34! There’s still so much in front of you. You have a successful career, a beautiful home and- Oh.”

Dean clenched his jaw.

“You’re lonely,” Sam turned his puppy eyes at him, “Look, just because you haven’t met the right person yet, it doesn’t mean-”

“Shut it, Dr. Phil,” Dean said as he hit the brakes and parked in front of an apartment building, “We’re here.”

He left the car without waiting for Sam.

Dean hated that Sam had brought up his friends. It’s not like he wasn’t feeling guilty enough already. But he simply couldn’t stand Benny’s dopey look when he mentioned Andrea, or Lisa’s shiny wedding ring, or the soft kisses Anna and Jo exchanged, or Garth’s plans for a big family. Every single person he knew was in a relationship— beside Charlie, which was the reason he liked to stick to her. He and Sam were a package deal, so avoiding his brother was out of the question, but other people, yeah— they were easily avoidable.  Of course, he regretted it now, but the damage was done. He would just have to find new friends.

* * *

The apartment was small. The kitchen was practically nonexistent. Dean couldn’t imagine living there.

“Sorry we’re late,” he said to the crew and made his way to Charlie and what had to be their participants, not caring to see. “Hey, I’m Dean,” he introduced himself to the woman— Dorothy, he remembered— and then turned to the man.

He was met with intense blue eyes and felt a shiver run down his back. Damn. Trying to be subtle, he stole a glance at the man’s body. He was wearing a regular t-shirt and very tight jeans that showed his firm thighs. Dean couldn’t help but imagine those legs wrapped around him. Being so busy drooling over him, Dean almost didn’t notice that the man was talking to him.

“It’s very nice to meet you,” the devastatingly handsome man said. “My aunt is a big fan of yours.”

Dean licked his lips and locked their eyes together, “And what about you, Castiel. Are you a fan?”

“Um, well, I watch the show occasionally,” Castiel said and shifted on his feet, making Dean realize that he was trying to flirt with a most likely straight guy in front of his _girlfriend_. Sam had been right— he really was becoming an asshole.

“Cool,” he cleared his throat, “So, is your aunt the reason you’re here?”

“Yes, she persuaded us to apply,” Castiel said and shared a small smile with Dorothy.

Before they could continue their conversation, Sam joined them. “Dean, it’s your turn for make-up.”

He nodded at his brother and, with a last glance at Castiel, Dean left.

* * *

They shot a few opening scenes in a little over an hour. It mostly consisted of Castiel and Dorothy showing their little apartment to Sam and Dean and describing the house they were hoping to buy. They numbered the things that were a must have: an office and a huge bookcase because between the two of them they owned a lot of books, a nice garage for both Dorothy’s motorbike and Castiel’s truck, a large garden, and a cozy living room with a fireplace. Basic stuff.

Of course, they’d already bought a house and the house hunting they would do with Sam would be faked. Dean’s job would be more realistic, but still exaggerated. On the show, it seemed like he worked on a house mostly by himself for five to seven weeks, but in reality, he worked on it for two weeks max along with his team. And he sure as hell wasn’t designing houses by himself. No, they had Jo and Anna for that. In the end, his and Sam’s job was mostly to look pretty and be funny.

“I would like something a bit more modern,” Dorothy spoke to the camera and if Dean hadn’t heard her saying that modern houses suck, he would have believed her.

“Yes, well, I’d prefer a nice traditional house,” Castiel interrupted. It was obvious from what he saw earlier that the couple got along amazingly, but the show demanded conflict, so they had to create it where they could.

“That’s why we are here. I’m positive we can find something that suits you both,” Sam said, always a mediator.

Dean smiled. It was his turn to speak. “And if Sam can’t find you a perfect house, you can always buy a house in a need of renovations and I’ll turn it into your dream house.”

Dorothy and Castiel shared a worried glance. Wow, they were good actors. It usually took more shots to get quality reactions.

“We don’t really want renovations, we’d rather just find a house and move in immediately. You know, I have to return to my job and I don’t want to leave Cas to deal with it by himself.”

“Well, it’s my job to make sure we find what you are looking for,” Sam said and Dean shoved him teasingly.

“You’re going to leave me without a job, dude,” Dean said. “But think about it, guys. Investing in renovations could be a smarter option for the future.”

Both Castiel and Dorothy made a doubtful face before nodding slowly.

“I still hope it won’t happen, but we’ll think about it if it comes to it,” Castiel said.

“And that’s cut,” Charlie yelled.

“You two are good actors,” Dean said after the cameras stopped rolling. “You took drama class in school or something?”

Dorothy shrugged, “Nah, must be natural talent.”

“So, we’ll go look at some houses today. The first one will of course be way beyond your budget. It’s a way to convince you to buy a fixer-upper instead,” Sam said.

“Yeah, we know. Charlie explained us everything already,” Dorothy said and glanced in Charlie’s direction. When they caught each other’s eyes, Dorothy smiled and winked and Charlie quickly looked away. If Dean didn’t know any better, he’d think they were flirting. They must have really clicked while they had been waiting for him and Sam.

“Then you know I’m going to your house with my team to check it out and begin working on some designs,” Dean said.

Castiel nodded, “Yes, of course. Here’s the key,” he took the key out of his jeans and handed it to Dean. Their fingers brushed together for a second and Dean felt his skin tingle.

“Thanks.”

“Do you know the address?” Castiel asked.

“Uh.” Dean was recovering from their brief touch and he couldn’t find words immediately until Sam elbowed him lightly. “Yeah, I have it written down, don’t worry.”

He gave them a small smile before excusing himself and departing.

* * *

“Jo showed me her sketches and I’m telling you the house is going to be absolutely beautiful. Maybe even better than yours,” Charlie said and bumped her shoulder against Dean’s.

He huffed. “Better than mine? In your dreams, Bradbury.”

They all laughed— he, Charlie, Sam and Eileen. Currently sitting on Dean’s backyard porch, they were talking about their day. It had been a while since they were all together like this and even longer since they were in his house, which was their usual meeting place. It was closest to all of them, and Dean thought it was awesome. This was the only house he had ever designed by himself and worked on mostly by himself, so he was tremendously proud of it.

Still, it got lonely when there was no one around, which was another reason he liked having his friends and family over.

“Okay, but did you see Dorothy?” Charlie exclaimed. “I never thought I’d see, with my own two eyes, someone so hot. And she has a motorcycle! God, you should’ve seen me when we were shooting an intro scene with her on the bike. I think I was as red as my hair.”

“Jesus, Charlie,” Dean snorted. “But, I get you. Not about Dorothy, but Castiel. I could barely say two words to him without getting distracted by how fucking gorgeous he is. Did you see his eyes?”

“Oh, yeah. He is _very_ dreamy,” Charlie nodded. “And Dorothy is pretty amazing, personality wise too, smart, funny... And did you know she visits at least three other countries a year. I wish I could travel more often.”

“You travel every month,” Sam added.

“But not out of the country,” Charlie sighed and raised her beer bottle. “Here’s to me traveling one day when this godforsaken show is finally over.”

“Amen to that,” Eileen agreed and clinked their bottles together.

“C’mon, guys. You love this show,” Sam said.

“But you’re gone so often,” Eileen said and kissed Sam, “But don’t worry, I don’t hate the show.” She signed something, but it made his brother blushed like crazy, so Dean thought it was probably for the better that only Sam saw it.

“And it’s only the fifth season. I don’t think the show is going anywhere for a while,” Dean added.

“Yeah, that’s just my luck. And like with Dorothy too— I’m always into straight girls.”

Dean threw his arm around her shoulder, “Don’t be sad, Charlie. It will be fine. And, shit, who knows— maybe we’ll meet Dorothy and Castiel’s lookalikes who will be down to fuck. Or maybe we manage to charm them and they realize they’re hella gay.”

Charlie laughed while Sam let out an annoyed groan, “You shouldn’t talk about them like that. They are our clients, not people you met at a bar. You are not allowed to get involved with them, anyway.”

Both Charlie and Dean turned to glare at him until he realized what he said. Eileen just smiled.

“Okay, okay,” Sam said finally, raising his hands, “I get it. But it was different with Eileen and I, we didn’t start dating until several months after we finished filming.”

“But you were making moon eyes at her since day one,” Dean piped up, remembering how Sam had stuttered and blushed around Eileen when she was on the show. He couldn’t believe it had been three years already.

“Aww,” Eileen laughed, “You liked me, how embarrassing for you.”

“Why are you all ganging up on me?”

“You’re so easy to tease, Sammy.” Dean reached over and ruffled Sam’s hair.

They laughed and moved on to other topics. 

 Even though Cas knew the house was well over their budget, he was still bitterly disappointed after seeing it. The huge, two-story house with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms had everything Cas and Dorothy wanted plus everything they didn’t know they wanted. Whoever was in charge with finding the houses they would check out did an exceptional job. After the tour, Sam took them to the garden— Cas gave it a longing look which he hoped camera didn’t catch— and asked them to guess the price.

“It’s over our budget, I’m sure,” Dorothy laughed. “There’s no way we’re so lucky to find such a perfect house on the first try.”

“You’re right,” Sam said. “It’s listed at $1,089,000.”

Dorothy whistled at the price and shook her head.

“That’s very much above our budget,” Cas said sadly. “There’s no way we can afford it.”

“Unfortunately, if you want a house like this you won’t be able to find it for anything less than this,” Sam said.

Dorothy and Cas exchanged disappointed glances.

“But, the good news is if you buy a fixer-upper, Dean will be able to turn it into a house as wonderful as this.”

“I’m still unsure about it,” Cas said, “but it seems like it’s our only option.”

Dorothy nodded. “I hate renovations, but if that’s the only way we’ll get a perfect house, I’m in.”

“Great!” Sam said and clapped his hands. “We’ll go look at some houses tomorrow with Dean, so he can give you an idea of what can be done.”

Charlie yelled cut and asked them to shoot an interview-like scene where they commented on the house they had seen and the fact they would have to do renovations. When they finished, they were done for the day. They got the address where they were supposed to come tomorrow and were dismissed.

“So what do you think?” Dorothy asked as they walked to Cas’s truck. “The guys seem chill, right? And Charlie is cool too.”

“Yes, they’re much nicer than I thought they’d be,” Cas agreed. “I can’t wait to see the design for our house.”

“Yeah, me too.”

* * *

In the next two days, Sam and Dean took them to five houses, but only one they explored in its entirety. When Cas first saw it, he was glad that wasn’t the house they would be choosing. It was a big, but ramshackle detached two-story house with no front yard.

“This is so shabby,” Dorothy commented as they walked to the front door. “I doubt there’s anything for us here.”

“Give it a chance, guys,” Sam said. “There’s a lot of potential here.”

The house lacked furniture, but Cas liked the arrangement of the rooms.

In the kitchen, Dean said, “I’d probably knock down this wall and connect the kitchen with the living room, giving you more space.”

“I guess it’d look good, but it’s hard to imagine it right now,” Dorothy said.

Next, they went to the basement which was bare and unfinished.

“This is a really big room,” Dean said. “And I know it looks terrible at the moment, but I think I could make a nice office for you two here.”

“I don’t know,” Cas said. “It’s so dark in here, so… gloomy. It doesn’t seem like a quality workspace.”

“Trust me, when I’m done with it you’ll love it,” Dean grinned and winked.

Cas blinked slowly at the Dean’s cheerful face and felt himself blush. He didn’t expect Dean to be so flirtatious— at least not with him— but he found himself enjoying Dean’s attention.

After seeing the rest of the house, they went to the garage and Dorothy voiced her displeasure. “It’s too small. We need to fit both my bike and Cas’s truck plus the space for my tools. I like to tinker with my baby.”

Dean gave her an understanding nod. “I get it, but I think we can work around it.”

At the end of the tour, the boys led them to the backyard, leaving Cas speechless.

“Oh, wow,” he gasped.

“This is definitely the biggest asset of the house,” Dean said. “There’s no front yard, but the backyard is enormous. The vegetable patch isn’t very big, but I’m sure you can adjust it.”

“It’s beautiful,” Cas said, now regretting that this wasn’t their future home. They yard stretched for at least 200 feet and it ended with a high hedge, secluding the space from the neighbors. A narrow gravel path wound throughout and led to a small seating area. “I love everything about it.”

Charlie called cut and he and Dorothy were asked to film their commentary scenes. After they were finished, Charlie and Dorothy engaged in a conversation, leaving Cas to hover awkwardly by Dorothy’s side. It seemed like Charlie really took a liking to Dorothy as she seemed genuinely interested in everything Dorothy was telling her. Feeling like a third wheel, Cas made his way back to the backyard.

He walked to the small table and sat down, basking in weak wintry sunlight.

“Hey,” a voice said, making Cas jump up. “Sorry, man, didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s alright, Dean,” Cas smiled at the other man, eliciting the same reaction from him.

Dean sat opposite him and for a while they admired the view of the house, in silence.

“So, um, you like this backyard, huh? You don’t regret buying the other house?”

“I do like this one, but I’m sure you and your team will do a great job on our house, so no, I don’t regret it.”

Dean looked away and his cheek turned pink. Cas caught himself staring at the way Dean’s freckles broke through the make-up.

“You’re right about that. I saw the designs for the house, and they’re awesome. I’m sure you’re gonna love it.”

They smiled at each other, their eyes locked together, before Dean coughed and looked away, pulling Cas out of the daze.

“I’ll see you tomorrow at your house, then,” Dean said as he got up.

Cas followed his suit. “Yes. I should go see if Dorothy is ready to go. Goodbye, Dean.”

“Bye, Castiel,” Dean said and waved as Cas hurried back to the house. He didn’t know what to make of his feelings. There was something about Dean that made him want to get know him better, to be around him more often.

* * *

The house they’d bought about a month ago was five minutes from their workplace and ten minutes from Dorothy’s house which meant they were familiar with the neighborhood.

As Dean and Sam led them through the house, Cas and Dorothy tried to best to act as if they were seeing it for the first time.

“The door is absolutely hideous,” Dorothy commented before they ever stepped inside.

“We can easily replace that,” Dean said. “Don’t give up on this house yet. I think it has a lot to offer.”

The door in question was painted with an interesting combination of blue and orange. The two-story house had 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, a nice big garage, and a medium sized backyard. The exterior was perfect (except the door), but the inside needed a lot of work.

In the living room, Dean suggested removing the wall between the hallway and living room and Cas could definitely see it.

“As you see the kitchen cabinets are rotten and falling apart. We would have to replace the whole kitchen, put the new appliances and everything.”

“That’s seems expensive,” Cas said. “Are you sure we’d stay under our budget?”

“Yeah, don’t worry about it,” Dean smiled.

Sam agreed with his brother. “Dean can work miracles, trust me.”

They went upstairs next.

“These two small bedrooms can be joined together into a nice big office slash library. Or two separate offices if that’s you’d rather have.”

“A big office sounds amazing,” Dorothy said, and Cas agreed with her.

Back downstairs, they checked the garage— Dorothy not having to fake the delight at seeing it— and ended up in the master bedroom which Cas had already claimed as his own. It was spacious, but what really got his attention were the French door leading to the backyard.

“This room doesn’t need much work, maybe a paint job, but I was thinking of adding a bay window over here,” Dean said.

Cas smiled at the suggestion. “That does sound wonderful.”

At last they got out to the backyard.

“It’s smaller than the last one, but I see the potential. I could turn it into something beautiful,” Cas mused out loud, walking towards the small shed in the corner. “This is very useful, the last one didn’t have a place for me to put my tools.”

“Yeah, we can fix the shed up, paint it over, add some shelves,” Dean agreed. “You’ll definitely have more storage, especially with the bigger garage too.”

They soon wrapped up and he and Dorothy were about to leave when Dean caught up with them. “I’ll see you guys on Monday. I can’t wait to show you the designs for the house.”

“I’m looking forward to it as well,” Cas nodded.

“Yeah, same,” Dorothy said before patting Cas on the shoulder. “I’ll wait in the car.”

She sauntered away, leaving Cas and Dean alone. He wasn’t sure what else to say, so he just stared at Dean, but it seemed like the other man was in the same predicament.

“Um, do you and Sam have anything else to film?” Cas asked. “I mean, you always stay behind.”

“Oh, no, we don’t. We’re waiting for Charlie actually. We always go eat later together.”

“That’s nice. So you and Charlie are good friends?”

“Yep, she’s my best friend. We met back in high school, but we weren’t really close until the show.”

Cas nodded. He wanted to talk to Dean more, but the car horn startled them both. When she was hungry, she could be really impatient.

“I have to go before Dorothy drags me off,” Cas said. “I’ll see you on Monday.”

Dean chuckled. “Yeah, see you.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

Dorothy and Castiel, done with ‘house-hunting’, had ‘narrowed their choice’ to two houses and it was Dean’s turn to show them some ideas for renovations.

They sat in their tiny apartment, Dean’s laptop on the table in front of them, and looked at Jo’s designs for the houses.

“In the ‘shabby’ house, we plan to knock down this wall to get an open concept between the kitchen and living room. We’ll add fireplace in the living room and wooden floorboards throughout the first floor. The basement, which is unfinished, will be converted into an office, and we will rearrange the garage to compensate for its size. And in the backyard, we’ll add a small place for your tools” Dean said as he showed them the first house, furniture arrangement displaying on the screen.

“It looks amazing. I can’t believe that was the same old, shabby house that we saw,” Dorothy said.

“I can already imagine how amazing my garden would look,” Castiel agreed.

“The house is listed at $510,000, but I think that’s above its market value, so we can probably lower it to $500,000,” Sam said.

“And renovations will cost around $55,000, so you will stay under your budget,” Dean added before moving on to the other house, “In the ‘blue-orange door’ house we plan to take down the wall between the hallway and the living room, making it more spacious, and install the fireplace.  Upstairs, we’ll merge these two rooms to make a big office slash library. In the backyard we’ll fix the rotting shed. In the downstairs bedroom, we’ll add a bay window and replace the door leading to your garden,” Dean finished and glanced at Castiel who was staring in awe at the screen.

“That looked amazing,” he murmured, and Dean felt a spark of pride. He would never admit it, but he suggested a few things to Jo, specifically with Castiel in mind, hoping he would like it.

“Yeah, I love the garage in this house. I can see myself spending several hours there.”

“Well, the price of the house is $530,000, but it’s been on the market for over a month, so maybe we can lower it to $520,000,” Sam said.

“The reno will cost $60,000, so five grand more than the previous, but the choice is up to you.”

“So what is going to be, guys?” Sam asked

Dorothy and Castiel turned to each other, pretending to be whispering, but the camera catching their every word.

“The first one is much cheaper,” Castiel started, “and the backyard is much bigger.”

“But the garage is small.”

“Yeah, and it’s quite far from the downtown.”

“The second one is pricier, but it’s bigger and the garage is amazing.”

Castiel nodded, “And the backyard is a bit smaller, but there’s that shed… And the bedroom’s door led to the garden, which is a big plus for me.”

“So… Do we agree?”

“Yes, I think so,” Castiel gave another nod and they turned to Sam and Dean.

“The ‘blue-orange door’ house,” they said at the same time and laughed.

“Great, I’ll put an offer and get back at you soon,” Sam said as he smiled at the couple.

“And cut,” Charlie yelled, breaking the scene. Sam made a run for the bathroom— Dean had told him to slow down with the smoothies, but his brother stubbornly refused.

Dorothy and Castiel stayed at the table, looking through the designs, along with Dean, who itched to engage in conversation with Castiel.

“So, you really liked the look of your house?” Dean asked them, but was hoping Castiel would answer.

“Oh, yes, it seems much better than I hoped it would,” Castiel exclaimed while Dorothy nodded, seemingly distracted.

“Excuse me,” she said and left to talk to Charlie.

“So, they really hit it off,” Dean said.

“Oh, yeah, I’m very glad. Dorothy doesn’t have many friends, what with all the traveling,” Castiel said as he gazed adoringly at Dorothy.

Ignoring a sudden pang of jealousy, Dean asked, “What about you?”

“I have a few close friends, but I’m not an extrovert like her, so I’m okay with it.”

“Well, that’s good,” Dean said awkwardly, desperate to keep the conversation going, but unsure how.

Fortunately, Castiel saved him. “I presume you have many friends.”

“I do know a lot of people,” he chuckled, “but most of them I wouldn’t consider friends. There’s like five or six people that I’m really close to. I guess there are Bobby and his team, too. They are great guys; you’ll meet them next week when we start shooting at the house.”

As soon as he mentioned his friends, Dean was overcome with guilt. He should really call them, or text them, but even though he knew they wouldn’t hold his absence against him, it was hard to force himself to reach out to them.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Castiel smiled, pulling Dean out of his thoughts. “So, they’re Bobby’s team? Not yours?”

“Bobby is their boss, but I have to pretend I’m the one in charge.”

“But you do work on the houses too? That’s not only for the show?” Castiel asked, but didn’t sound condescending as many others did when Dean’s job was in question.

“I do, but only for a week or so on each house, to get different shots,” Dean rubbed his neck, “My job is mostly to look pretty, though.”

“Well, you do that quite well,” Castiel said before widening his eyes and blushing. “I’m sorry that was inappropriate.”

“It’s okay, Cas,” Dean grinned, feeling his own cheeks heating up, “I like it when people appreciate my job.”

With his face still red, Cas continued as if nothing had happened, “You must be downplaying your abilities. I don’t watch the show often, but from what I’ve seen you’re very handy and you seem to know what you’re doing. Or maybe you’re just an amazing actor. Either way, you have skills you should be proud of.”

Dean looked down at his clasped hands. Cas was smiling softly at him and Dean’s cheeks burned more intensely. “I definitely do know my way around tools. In fact, I’ve built my own house.” Any other time, Dean would feel like he was showing off, but he didn’t think Cas would see it that way.

“That’s great, Dean. I can’t wait, then, to start helping you out.” He leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, “I don’t want to brag, but I’ve built my fair share of birdhouses over the years.”

Dean guffawed and patted Cas’s shoulder. “I’d better watch out then— you’ll end up stealing my job.” More softly, he added, “Thanks, Cas. Oh, it’s okay to call you Cas, right?”

Cas waved him off, “Of course. Only my aunt calls me Castiel.”  

“Your aunt? The one who’s a fan of the show? Are you close?”

“She raised me and my brother, but, um,” Cas shifted his gaze to his lap, “She’s a bit… demanding, but I am beyond grateful for her. If she hadn’t taken us in after my father left, Gabriel and I would have been put in foster care and probably ended up separated.”

“Fuck, man. Your dad left you? That sucks,” Dean said and winced at how callous he sounded.

“I’m sorry for unburdening that to you,” Cas said, “Sometimes my people skills are rusty.”

Dean laughed, “Don’t worry about it. I asked, didn’t I? It’s just that I can’t really imagine how that is.”

Cas shrugged, “I’ve learned to deal with it. By the time I was fifteen, I stopped hoping for his return. For all I know, he’s dead.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Thank you, Dean,” Cas held his gaze for several moments, making Dean’s stomach flutter.

“Hey, sorry to interrupt,” Charlie said, forcing them to look away from each other, “Would you mind changing clothes, Castiel?”

“Of course. I’ll be right back,” Cas said and scurried to his bedroom, Dean watching him go and letting out a small sigh. The man had an ass to kill for.

“Stop ogling him,” Charlie whispered.

“You’re the one to talk. I’m pretty sure you and Dorothy weren’t talking about the show this whole time.”

“It’s not my fault she’s so fun to talk to,” Charlie pouted. “You’re done for today. You going or staying?”

“I’ll stay and watch.”

When Dorothy and Castiel changed their clothes (to create an illusion that a day passed), they started shooting.

“I have some news, guys,” Sam said as they led him into an apartment.

“What is it?” Dorothy asked. “Did we get the house?”

“The seller accepted your offer for $520,000. Congratulations, the house is yours.”

Dorothy let out an exclamation of happiness while Cas grinned beside her. “Baby, I’m so happy,” she said as she hugged Cas. When they pulled apart, they gazed at each other with pure adoration and leaned in to press their lips together.

Dean’s stomach churned at the sight and he was forced to look away. It had been so long since he felt drawn to someone the way he did with Cas, and of course, the other man is not only straight, but utterly in love with his girlfriend.

He sighed. Hopefully, those feelings would evaporate soon.

* * *

 

First day of filming is always the busiest, but— at least to Dean— most interesting. After being done with the make-up, Dean slapped on his tool belt. He didn’t see the point of it, as he never used it, but Charlie insisted it was his trademark look. Apparently, fans thought it was hot.

He approached Cas and Dorothy and greeted them. Both of their eyes trailed over his body, but while Dorothy smiled at him, Cas looked away and blushed. Dean had never been happier wearing the tool belt.

The cameras started rolling and Dean handed a hammer to Cas, asking “Are you guys ready to get rid of this fugly wall? You wanna start?”

“Yes, thank you.” Cas took the hammer and hit the wall a few times until there was a small hole.

“Let me try,” Dorothy said as she snatched the hammer and proceeded to pound the wall with much greater vigor than Cas.

“Wow,” Dean said as he watched her.

Dorothy stopped and shot Cas a smug look, “That’s how you do it.”

“Just so you know, I was holding back,” Cas responded, “I didn’t want to look violent on TV.”

“Sure, big boy,” Dorothy smirked and ruffled his hair.

Dean laughed, before turning to the wall and finishing what the couple had started. “Oh-o,” he said as he looked inside.

“What is it?” Cas asked.

“This wall is load-bearing. We can’t remove it.”

Dorothy sighed, “What now? It has to stay?”

“We can can add a beam up there, but it will cost more,” Dean said tentatively.

Cas frowned. “How much?”

“At least 10 grand,” Dean admitted.

Cas and Dorothy shared a disappointed look.

“That’s quite a lot,” Cas said and Dorothy nodded.

“We have contingency in case something like this happened and we’ll try to save some money on other things. As long as there are no other problems, you won’t go over budget.”

Relieved, they smiled at Dean.

“Thank you, Dean,” Cas said, his eyes crinkling and Dean almost forgot he was on camera, but he was fortunately interrupted before he could get sappy.

“Cut,” Charlie yelled. “This was okay, but I think you should try to act a bit more angry.”

They filmed their reactions once again before they moved on.

“Okay, I was thinking we could have a competition,” Dean said while standing in front of the kitchen cabinets. “Castiel, you said you were holding back with the wall, so I’m giving you another chance to put those muscles of yours to good use.”

Dean’s eyes briefly trailed down Cas’s body and he winked at the other man. Cas smiled shyly and nodded.

“You have to take these down,” Dean gestured at the two cabinets. “The winner is the one who finishes the first. Okay?”

They got into position and indicated that they were ready.

“Ready, set, go!”

Both of them did their best, but Dean could barely move his eyes away from Cas and the way he vigorously attacked the cabinets. The man really was all muscle beneath the all that clothes and Dean wouldn’t mind being manhandled by him.

Cas ended up winning. “Sorry, Dori,” he said, not sounding sorry in the slightest.

Charlie called cut and Dorothy leaned in to whisper something in Cas’s ear. Cas blushed and Dean looked away. He could guess what it was about. It wouldn’t be the first time that after doing some heavy work, a woman realizes what a hot boyfriend or a husband she had and got all hot and bothered.

He made his way to Charlie, who was smirking at him.

“Don’t worry, we’ll edit out your drooling over Mr. Muscle.”

Dean let his head fall as he groaned. “Shit, was I that obvious? I don’t know what’s wrong with me, Charlie? Yeah, he’s hot, but I can’t stop looking at him.”

“Maybe, you need to get laid,” she shrugged. “When was the last time you had sex? A year ago?”

He scoffed. “It was like five months ago.”

“Sorry,” she rolled her eyes. “I’m sure you’ll get over it when the filming ends.”

“Yeah.”

Dean glanced at Cas and sighed. They hadn’t spent that much time together, but it was clear to him that Cas was incredibly kind and sweet, funny and intelligent. If they hadn’t met on the show— and if he didn’t have a stupid middle school crush on him— Dean would include him in his circle of friends in a matter of seconds. But Charlie was right— he would only have to spend a few more days in Cas’s company and after it wouldn’t take long for him to forget and move on. He ignored the disappointment he felt at the thought and, putting a smile on his face, he continued with his job.

  

Even though he had been reluctant about joining the show, Cas had to admit he was having a lot of fun. Mostly because of Dean Winchester, but he would never admit that to anyone. Still, he was definitely beginning to understand why his aunt was so charmed by him. Dean wasn’t egoistic and conceited like Cas feared he’d be, on the contrary, he was friendly and open to conversation about anything. He was also very flirty. In the past few days, he and Dean spoke alone only a few times, but it only increased Cas’s craving to get know him better. He started to suspect that he was— for the first time in his life— developing a crush.

“Earth to Cas,” Dorothy snapped her fingers in front of his face, “Where did you go?”

“Nowhere,” he said as he quickened his step. They were on their way to their new house and since they had decided to leave Cas’s truck at Dorothy’s house and walk, they were late.

“Uh huh, so you were thinking about Dean,” she grinned and bumped her shoulder against his.

Cas stopped in his tracks. “What? No. Why would I be thinking about him?”

“Cas, please, don’t insult me. I know you,” she grew serious. “It’s okay, you know. If you have a crush on him, or whatever.”

“I don’t know what it is,” Cas’s shoulders slumped. “He isn’t what I expected. I feel… I feel relaxed with him, like I’ve known him for years, but at the same time I want to know more. And I can’t stop looking at him.” Dean was like a sun, pulling him into his orbit, and Cas was happy to burn if it meant getting closer.

“Well, he is absolutely gorgeous,” Dorothy said.

He nodded, “I’ve never felt like this about anyone. I can’t say I’m in love with him or anything, but I definitely can see myself falling for him.”

“Oh, bug,” Dorothy wrapped him a hug. “I’m glad you’ve found someone you clicked with.”

“But, Dori, there won’t be anything between us. He’s a celebrity and probably straight.”

Dorothy arched an eyebrow. “You should listen to the gossip a bit more. There’s been a whole bunch of speculation over the years that Dean swings both ways.”

“Speculation, Dori, not a fact. Besides, we’re getting ahead of ourselves. I barely know him and I doubt I’ll have an opportunity to do so after the show ends.”

Dorothy frowned and bit her lip. “Sorry, I got excited. But don’t lose hope.”

“Thank you,” Cas smiled and grabbed her hand. “We should go, we’re already late.”

They hurried to the house. Today was the last day of filming the renovations. The crew would continue working on the house, but Dean was moving on to shooting other episodes. Cas tried not to feel too crestfallen.

* * *

Over the past few days, Cas and Dorothy had painted the walls in three rooms and helped with some minor repairs. One day, they had gone to the Home Depot with Sam to choose the kitchen tiles and hardwood pattern, while the next day they went fireplace shopping with Dean.  It had been fun, but Charlie ordered them to disagree about everything and Cas was slowly growing sick of fake bickering with Dorothy all the while pretending he was in love with her.

Today, Dean informed them that they would be working on the shed. He was wearing his tool belt and Cas’s eyes inadvertently lowered to his crotch. Shaking his head briefly, Cas forced himself to look away. What was going on with him?                                                    

“You need to paint both the outside and the inside and put up the shelves. You think you can handle that?” Dean smirked, making Dorothy roll her eyes.

“That won’t be a problem,” Cas said and added more timidly, “What are you going to be doing?”

“I’ll be helping out inside. I think you can survive without me for a day,” Dean said, winking.

Looking down, Cas nodded. He had been anticipating spending a bit more time with Dean, but luck was not on his side. At least, he hoped his disappointment wasn’t too palpable.

Once Dean left, Dorothy walked up to him and squeezed his shoulder. He gave her a tiny smile and threw himself into work.

They worked for a couple of hours while the crew mostly filmed them goofing around. At some point Charlie decided they had enough footage and let them have a break.

“We’re done here, actually. All you still have to do is film the final reactions,” she told them. “But, you’re free to finish what you have started.”

“I think I’m done for the day,” Dorothy said. “Cas will probably stay.”

“Yes, I think I’ll stay,” Cas concurred, “I’ve discovered I really liked working with my hands. On something other than my garden, of course.”

“And you’re fucking awesome at it too,” Dean’s voice came from behind him and startled it. He and Bobby had managed to walk up to them without Cas noticing.

“You’re definitely better than this idjit,” Bobby gruffed and slapped Dean’s back.

“Are we done with the filming?” Dean asked Charlie.

“Yep, we and the guys are out. You gonna stay?”

Dean looked at him for a moment, “Yeah, it’s not like I have anything else to do. Besides, someone has to keep Cas company.” His words were accompanied by a wink and Cas felt his face burn.

“This ain’t a playground, boy. If you wanna work, there won’t be any time for screwing around,” Bobby said.

Rolling his eyes, Dean smirked, “I always have time for screwing around.”

“Ugh, keep it PG, dude,” Charlie said.

Dean’s eyes widened, “What? I didn’t mean it like that, Charlie!” He fidgeted and wouldn’t meet anyone’s eyes.

Cas frowned. He couldn’t fathom why Dean would be so embarrassed by that joke, but then again Cas wasn’t the expert when it came to a certain kind of humor.

Soon after, the group dispersed. Cas saw Dorothy and Charlie leave together and smiled. It seemed like Dorothy had made a friend and he couldn’t be happier. He also had an inkling that Dorothy’s feelings for Charlie were growing stronger, but he didn’t want to question her about it. She would talk to him about it when she was ready.

Cas returned to working on the shed. For the most part Bobby kept Dean inside, but towards the end, he joined Cas. They finished up the shed in silence, Cas refraining himself from looking too much in Dean’s direction.

“You’ve done a really great job over these past days,” Dean praised him as they observed their work.

“Thank you. I must say I’m really excited to see the finished product. I’m already making plans for the garden.”

Dean smiled. “That’s one of the best parts of the job for me. Helping people find and create their perfect home. Like, I know a lot of the show is scripted and fake, but the reactions at the end are always genuine. We make people happy.”

“Did you ever have any dissatisfied clients?”

“Yeah, a few times, but I think they were mostly that kind of people that is impossible to satisfy.”

“For what is worth, I think Dorothy and I will be very happy.”

“That’s good,” Dean said. “So, are you coming back tomorrow too?”

Cas raised an eyebrow. “I wasn’t aware I could be here when we aren’t filming.”

“Oh, yeah, you can definitely come around. Clients often help out to save money and time.” Dean rolled his eyes, “At least when they aren’t so incompetent that they can’t even hold a hammer right.”

Cas laughed. “I’m sensing a story there.”

“Oh, boy, there are _multiple_ stories. Most are hilarious, but one did end with the husband going to the hospital and the wife having a panic attack.”

Cas tried to stifle a laugh, “Were they alright in the end?”

“Yeah, but they were banned from coming anywhere near any tools or construction areas.”

“That was probably a wise decision for everyone involved.”

“Ha, it really was,” Dean chuckled. “Hey, do you want-” He was interrupted by his phone’s loud ringtone. “Hey, sorry, I have to take this.”

Cas nodded and looked away, pretending he wasn’t hearing every word of Dean’s conversation.

“Hey, Sammy. What’s up?… No, I’m at work… What? No, shut up,” Dean hissed and moved a bit away. “That is none of your business…” There was a long pause. “Yeah, okay. See ya.”

Dean walked back towards him. “Sorry, that was Sammy- Sam. My brother.”

“Yes, I know who Sam is,” Cas let out an amused huff. “Is everything alright?”

“Oh, yeah, sorry,” Dean waved him off, “Just Sam being an asshole. You know how younger brothers are.”

“I don’t actually. In my experience older brothers are assholes.”

Dean shoved him. “Dick,” he muttered, making both of them burst into laughter. “Anyway, um, I have to go.”

“Oh, okay,” Cas said, trying not to sound disappointed. “I think I’ll be going too.”

“You need a ride? I didn’t see your truck.”

“No, thank you, I’ll walk.”

“Walk? Your apartment is on the other side of the city!”

“No, no. I’ll walk to Dorothy’s. It’s only fifteen minutes away.”

Dean frowned and Cas realized his mistake. “I thought you two lived together?”

_Fuck. Think Castiel._

“This is her father’s house. We’ve been staying there these past few days because it’s closer.” A lie, but Dean didn’t need to know that.

“Oh, cool.”

They walked out of the house together, stopping only to inform Bobby that Cas had decided to stop by tomorrow.

“Are you sure you don’t want a ride?” Dean asked. “You’d get to ride in my Baby. Only few are so lucky.”

Cas laughed as he peered at the said car, parked across the street. Dean’s love for his car was well known and Cas itched to see what made it so special.

In the end he shrugged, “Why the hell not?”

“Awesome,” Dean grinned and led him to the car.

As soon as Cas rattled off the directions to the house, Dean started the engine.

“Are you filming tomorrow?” Cas asked after a few silent moments.

“Yeah, we already shot some introductory scenes, but Charlie said we need more. But the gals are nice, so it’s not a problem.”

“Are they girlfriends?”

“Yeah, our token gays,” Dean huffed.

Cas frowned. “What do you mean?”

“The network likes to have one gay couple per season, so they can say they’re not homophobic when they’re attacked for rejecting a bunch of other same-sex couples. It’s gross, really. And of course, it’s always lesbians.”

“That’s terrible.”

“Yeah. Charlie is trying her best to change that, but she’s not all-powerful.”

Cas nodded, but decided not to say anything. The situation was even worse than he had thought. If the network found out about their pretense or that neither he nor Dorothy were straight, he was afraid there would be dire consequences. On the other hand, he was glad to hear that Dean cared about the LGBT community.

He wasn’t given much time to ponder on it because Dean pulled up in front of Dorothy’s house.

“This it?” He asked as he glanced at the house. “Nice place, really big.”

“Yes, it’s been in their family for decades.”

Dean bobbed his head. “So, um, I guess I’ll see you in a month, then.”

“I guess.”

“Or maybe I’ll stop by sometime.”

Cas smiled. “That’d be nice. Goodbye, Dean.”

Dean returned his smile and lifted his hand in a small wave, “Bye, Cas.”

They stared at each other for a few moments— slightly too long moments— making Cas’s heart beat faster and forcing him to look away. Quickly, he got out of the car and hurried to the front door, pretending that he was fumbling with his keys. When he glanced back, he saw that Dean had started the car and was driving away. Letting out a relieved sigh, he made his way to his truck, which was parked at the end of the street, and hoped that Dorothy’s dad didn’t hear him. He wasn’t in the mood for explaining why he was there without her. During the ride home, all he did was fought back the thoughts of Dean.

* * *

 

This was it. He and Dorothy were finally going to see their dream house. A week ago, Bobby had asked him not to come anymore, so he wouldn’t have to fake the surprise and he was brimming with excitement. The crew met them outside and once they started filming, Cas and Dorothy walked up to their front door— not blue-orange anymore, but white— where they were welcomed by Sam and Dean.

“Hey, guys. Are you ready?” Sam asked them.

“Yeah, we can’t wait,” Dorothy exclaimed.

They were led inside and Cas let out a small gasp as he noticed how much had been done in a week since he was last there. The house was absolutely beautiful.

“Holy f- Wow,” Dorothy breathed out and gripped Cas’s arm as they walked through the living room and towards the kitchen. “I can’t believe this is our home.”

“Yeah,” Cas murmured while trying to soak up every inch of the house.

The living room was much bigger after the removal of the wall. Its yellow walls and dark brown hardwood floor along with the fireplace made it look warm and cozy. The kitchen was completely new. The smooth granite surfaces complemented the light brown cabinets and wood pattern wall tiles.

After showing them the first floor, Sam and Dean brought them upstairs to the office and library. The room was big and most of its walls were covered with shelves— between the two of them, they had enough books to use all of that space. There were two desks on opposite sides of each other— one in front of the window overlooking the backyard. Cas could already see himself writing his articles here.

“Last but not least,” Dean said as he ushered them back downstairs. He opened the door to the master bedroom and Cas couldn’t stop himself from grinning.

The room was big and bright and it had a new French door and bay window. In a hurry, he reached the door and stepped out to the backyard. In one corner was a vegetable and flower patch and the shed he and Dorothy had worked was a bit further away in the other corner. A small stepping stone path wound to a wooden gazebo in the middle, inside of which were two benches and a table.

“Perfect,” Cas said and fought back the tears.

A hand landed on his shoulder and Cas jumped up a little. “You like it?” Dean asked.

“I love it,” Cas said and finally tore his gaze away from the backyard to meet Dean’s eyes. “Thank you.”

Dean smiled. “I’m glad you liked it.”

“Cut,” Charlie yelled, making Cas realized that there were other people there, so he quickly looked away. “We’re gonna film some of the reactions again. Castiel, could you please speak up? You’ve barely said anything and we really need some dialogue.”

“I apologize.”

“No, no. It’s okay. Not everyone is able to pour out compliments immediately.”

Dean nudged him, “Being speechless is a great compliment too.”

Cas shot Dean a grateful smile before they returned to the house to film the repeated reactions. More than half an hour later, they were done and the crew started to put their equipment away.

“So, this is it, guys,” Sam came to say goodbye. “I hope you got what you dreamed about.”

“We definitely did,” Cas smiled and shook Sam’s offered hand. “Thank you so much.”

“It was nice to meet you,” Sam said as he walked towards the door. “Good luck.”

“Bye!” Dorothy waved.

The rest of the crew left the house too, Charlie and Dean being the last ones.

Charlie smiled at them a bit awkwardly while Dean frowned at her. She waved and hurried towards her car.

“Sorry about that,” Dean said. “She’s not usually like this.”

“No, it’s completely alright,” Dorothy responded absentmindedly, her eyes glued to Charlie’s retreating form.

“Okay,” Dean drew out, “Anyway, it was good to meet you. I hope you’ll move in without a trouble.”

“Thank you,” Cas said, hoping to catch Dean’s eyes, but Dean avoided looking in his direction.

“So, I’ll see you around maybe,” Dean said finally, “Bye.”

With that, he scurried to his car, leaving Cas bitter and disappointed. He had hoped they could be friends, but Dean didn’t even try to suggest meeting up. Then again, why would he? Cas was nothing special and Dean was a celebrity.

He and Dorothy entered the house and sat on their new couch. For a while they sat in silence, both deep in their thoughts.

“Cas, I need to tell you something,” Dorothy said. “Don’t get angry.”

Cas frowned at her grave tone. “What is it?”

“Last night, I-” she paused, avoiding his eyes. “I hooked up with Charlie.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, I know I fucked up our ‘relationship’, but I explained everything to her and she won’t tell anything.”

“Wait, you told her everything?”

“Well, yeah. I didn’t want her to think I’m cheating on you,” she said. “You’re not mad.”

“No, I’m just worried that the network will find out and refuse to air our episode. And then Amara would ask questions…”

“Look, me and Charlie will keep things quiet until our episode. After that we can just say we broke up and that Charlie and I started dating long after.”

“So, you two are dating?”

Dorothy smiled at the ground, surprising Cas. She wasn’t one to get shy. “I really like her, Cas.”

“Then I’m happy for you.” Cas pulled her into a hug. “I’m sure everything will work out fine.”

“You’re really okay with this?”

“Dori, I can see how happy she makes you. I wouldn’t dare to ask you to give that up,” he said. “But I do hope you can keep it low for a while. Amara can still ask for her money back and then we would be-”

“In deep shit, I know. Don’t worry, Charlie gets it and I trust she won’t say anything.”

“If that’s the case, then I trust her too,” Cas squeezed Dorothy’s hand. “When does the episode air, anyway? I forgot to ask.”

“Not sure on the exact day, but in the beginning of May.”

“That’s not much,” he said. “Are you- Do you have another trip planned?”

“No way,” Dorothy laughed. “I’m not letting you have this heaven all for yourself!”

Cas smiled. At least one weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He had feared that Dorothy would leave before they even got accustomed to living together.

“Are we going to start bringing our stuff today or-”

Dorothy raised her hand, “How about we go test our new beds? I’m sure you’re as exhausted as I am.”

Cas opened his mouth to protest, but a warning glare from Dorothy stopped him and he sighed. “Yeah, okay. We can move in tomorrow.”

“That’s my boy,” Dorothy said and leaped upstairs while Cas shook his head affectionately.


	3. Chapter 3

Dean was trying to shake off the jitters while he waited for Sam. Today was the big day for his brother, but for some reason Dean was the one nearing the nervous breakdown. He guessed it was because he was the best man.

Another reason might be the fact that he didn’t have a date. Aaron, a guy he was supposed to come with, canceled at the last minute because his grandfather ended up in a hospital. Dean couldn’t blame him, of course, but he really wished he’d had more time to find someone else. Now, he will just have to sit around and watch everyone else dance and have fun and-

“Dean!”

“What?” Dean asked as he realized his brother was standing in front of him.

“I called your name like five times? You alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. What about you? Nervous?”

Sam smiled, “I’m more excited than nervous. I guess I’m only worried something will go wrong.”

“Don’t worry about that, dude. You’ve hired the best wedding planners in the country.”

“Have you heard from Mom?” Sam asked as he tried to fix his tie.

“Yeah, she’s on her way from the airport. She’ll meet us at the church.”

“Good, I’m glad she made it,” Sam said, still struggling with the tie.

“Dude, she would never miss your wedding,” Dean watched his brother with a frown.

“I know, I know, but she’s been so busy lately with the show and her book tour.”

“And,” Dean said as he walked to his brother and slapped his hands away, tying the tie himself, “Like she always says, we’ll always come first.”

Sam scrutinized himself in the mirror. “Thanks, Dean.”

“No problem, little brother,” Dean slapped Sam on the shoulder. “Let’s get moving. We don’t want to give Eileen any time to meet someone better, do we?”

“Ha ha,” Sam gave him a dry ‘fuck you’ look. “But, yeah, let’s go.”

* * *

 

Once they were standing before the altar, Dean could see Sam slightly shaking and smirked. _Not nervous, my ass._

“Calm down,” he whispered.

“I’m fine, Dean.”

“It’s okay to be nervous,” Dean said. “This is a big step.”

“I love Eileen-”

“I know you do.”

“But, I guess this _is_ a big deal,” Sam admitted. “I don’t know what to expect, so I guess I am a little nervous.”

“I’m sure you’ll be better when you see her coming down the aisle.”

“Yeah,” Sam breathed out. “I can’t wait. Man, she’s going to be beautiful.”

Dean smiled at Sam’s love-struck expression; his brother was such a sap.

Slowly, the church filled in. Most of their friends and family arrived— their mother had greeted them briefly with a promise of catching up at the reception. Dean squinted at the crowd, but couldn’t see Charlie, which was surprising because she wasn’t one to be late. He was halfway into writing her a text, when Sam elbowed him.

“Hey, look. Charlie brought a date,” Sam gestured. “She looks familiar, doesn’t she?”

Dean looked into that direction and after a brief moment, he recognized the girl. “Isn’t that Dorothy, um, something? She was on the show a couple of months ago.”

“Oh, yeah,” Sam nodded.

“Did Charlie bring her as a friend? I mean, she has a boyfriend,” Dean pondered out loud. Seeing Dorothy made him remember Castiel as well. He had managed to forget about him and his stupid crush, but now he felt even more pathetic for not having a date. In the last few months, he hadn’t come close to meeting someone he liked as much as he liked Cas. And he had only spent a little over a week in Cas’s company.

“I don’t know, man. They’re holding hands,” Sam brought Dean’s attention back to Charlie.

Before they could continue their conversation, the priest showed up and asked them to take their place. Dean shoved his confusion at the back of his mind— there would be time to ask Charlie about it later— yet he couldn’t help but feel slightly jealous. Charlie hadn’t mentioned she would bring anyone; he was hoping the two of them would stick together.

The music started. Eileen’s bridesmaid strolled in, followed by a flower girl and finally Eileen and her father. Dean glanced at his awestruck brother who was wearing a small dopey smile. He didn’t seem worried in the slightest anymore.

The ceremony didn’t last long, but it was heartwarming and touching. The priest, Sam, and Eileen used a sign language throughout, while an interpreter voiced their words. And yes, Dean may have shed a tear or two during the vows. When it came to the kiss, the size difference between them almost made Eileen fall as she tried to raise herself on her tiptoes and she lost her balance. Fortunately, Sam grabbed her around the waist and quickly pulled her close, so most of the guests didn’t even notice anything was wrong. Soon after, everyone headed to the banquet hall where the reception would be held. 

* * *

It didn’t take long for Dean to spot Charlie. He caught up with her once he finished polite chit chat with some of the guests.

“Charlie! I almost thought something was wrong,” he said as he reached her table. “You’re never late.”

“Yeah, sorry. I had to pick Dorothy up. You remember Dorothy, right?”

Dean smiled at the other woman. “Yeah, of course. How are you?”

“I’m great,” Dorothy grinned back.

“Great,” he nodded before turning to Charlie, “Can we talk please?”

Dorothy and Charlie shared a look. “Sure, let’s go.” Charlie got up and followed him to a quiet corner where they wouldn’t be overheard.

“What the hell, Charlie?”

“Look, it’s not what you think. She’s not cheating on Castiel. They broke up.” Charlie said firmly.

“Really? And you just jumped at the opportunity.”

Charlie crossed her arms. “Do you really think it’s my fault they broke up? I can’t believe you think so low of me.”

Dean sighed. “Sorry, didn’t mean to sound so accusing. I knew you liked her…”

“I did like her, and we stayed friends after the show. She and Castiel had problems for a while, but nothing to do with me.”

“Okay, I believe you,” Dean assured her, “But they looked so happy together.”

Charlie shrugged. “Dorothy’s traveling took its toll on them. But it’s not like they hate each other or anything, it was a mutual break up.”

Nodding, Dean pulled Charlie in a quick hug. “I’m sorry I was a dick. If you’re happy, I’m happy.”

“Thank you,” she said as they pulled apart and punched him in a shoulder. “I really like her, Dean. We’re actually going on a trip to Europe in two weeks.”

“Seriously? That’s great! How long are you staying?”

“Dunno. At least two months.”

“Wow, that’s really long,” Dean frowned. “What about the show?”

Charlie looked at him strangely, “Didn’t Sam tell you? He asked for a few months off, so he could spend more time with Eileen. He didn’t want to go to work immediately after getting back from Hawaii. The show won’t start filming until the end of September.”

Dean pressed his lips together.

“I thought you knew.”

“No, it’s okay. He was so busy with the wedding and stuff, he must have forgotten to mention it,” Dean forced a laugh. “At least I’ll get some time for myself now.”

The conversation left him sour for the rest of the night. Not because he was angry at Sam for wanting to spend more time with his wife, but because knew he was in for some lonesome and companionless nights. At least when they were busy with the show, he could ignore the loneliness and dark thoughts— push them back— but with so much free time on his hands, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to handle it. He functioned best when surrounded by people and now the two people he was closest to wouldn’t be around for several months.

Of course, he was well aware that he should catch up with his other friends, but he didn’t know how to get back in contact with them after several months of not talking.

Sighing, he took another sip of the whiskey. He didn’t want to ruin the night for Sam, so he tried his best to pretend he was fine, smiling politely and talking to whoever made their way to his seat. At some point, Mary found him at one of the empty tables.

“I’ve been looking for you,” she said as she sat down beside him. “Why aren’t you dancing?”

“Not feeling it, I guess. How are you, Mom? Haven’t seen you in ages.”

Mary Winchester was a famous actress who had given up acting when she got married and started a family. But acting was in her blood and she couldn’t stay away from it. When John died ten years ago, she’d returned to her career and now she had her own talk show and autobiography.

“I’ve been busy. The book sales went up, so we added more cities to the tour. But I’m very happy. Not many women my age can get this. You know how Hollywood is.”

“People love you, Mom,” Dean squeezed her hand. “They’d be crazy not to. You’re awesome!”

“Thanks, sweetie,” she smiled. “Now come dance with me. I haven’t managed to find a partner who can keep up with me.”

Dean laughed as she dragged him to the dance floor, providing a nice distraction from his dark thoughts. His mother always knew what he needed.

  

Cas pushed the shopping cart around Walmart. For the first time since he had moved into the new house, he was buying groceries alone.

Even though she was only gone for a week, he already missed Dorothy. In the few months she was around, he got used to her company and going back to being alone was hitting him hard. Still, he tried not to feel too sad and mopey. After all, Dorothy was happy and that was what he wanted for her.

Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t pay attention to his surroundings and on the next turn his cart collided with someone else’s. The force of the collision sent him stumbling back and it took him a moment to find his balance.

“Fuck, I’m so sorry,” Cas apologized and looked up at the other person. He was met with familiar green eyes.

“Castiel? Hi!” Dean said, staring at him with wide eyes.

“Hello, Dean.” Cas smiled, pleasantly surprised. “I’m really sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

“No, it’s fine, man. I wasn’t either. Nothing’s damaged,” he gestured at his almost empty cart.

“I haven’t seen you around here before,” Cas said.

“The store I usually go to closed down,” Dean explained. “So how are you, man?”

“I’m great,” Cas said and actually meant it— running into Dean had improved his mood greatly. “How are you?”

Dean looked at him strangely, then nodded and smiled, “I’m fine. Having some time off.” He scratched his unshaven face and opened his mouth to say something else, but then gave up.

Cas nodded and tried to think of a way to see Dean again.

“Would you-” “So, how about-” They spoke at the same time and chuckled.

“Please, you go first,” Cas said.

“I was just wondering if you wanted to go grab a cup of coffee with me?”

Cas grinned. “I would love to. I was actually going to ask the same thing.”

“Awesome. Do you wanna go after you’re done with shopping?”

“I have some things here that have to go to the fridge, so I have to go home. Maybe we can meet later? At Starbucks?”

Dean grimaced. “Starbucks is always too crowded. Do you know some more secluded place?”

For a moment Cas forgot that Dean was a celebrity. Of course he didn’t want to be pestered in public. “I know a place. My brother owns a small coffee shop, ‘Sweet Heaven’.”

“Okay, I’ll meet you there. In an hour?”

“Perfect,” Cas smiled and Dean returned it.

“Great, see you then.” With a wave Dean was gone, leaving Cas to wrap up his shopping and hurry home.

He was so glad Dean wanted to spend time with him. Dorothy told him what had happened at the wedding and as far as he knew, Charlie told Dean the truth, but Dean didn’t react well. Still, there was no trace of anger in his eyes when he talked to Cas, so he must have gotten over it. Just in case, he decided not to mention his and Dorothy’s ruse unless Dean brought it up first. Cas was sure this was his chance to actually befriend the other man and he didn’t want to mess it up. 

* * *

‘Sweet Heaven’ was small, cozy coffee shop with delicious coffee and pastries. If Gabriel wasn’t such a pain in his ass, Cas would be there much more often.

“Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in!” Gabriel greeted as he walked up to the table where Cas was waiting for Dean.

“Hello, Gabriel. How are you?”

“I’m fine. How are _you_? With the break up and everything. Auntie Amara’s been asking about you.” Gabriel smirked. He found Cas’s situation absolutely hilarious.

“Gabe, you didn’t tell her anything did you?”

“Of course not. But you should go visit soon. Or at least call her.”

“I will. I do miss her, but I can’t handle lying to her,” he admitted. “And I can’t handle her insulting Dorothy.”

“Hey, Cas.”

Both Gabriel and Cas jumped up at the sound of Dean’s voice. Cas glanced at him and was pleased to notice that Dean had changed his clothes and shaved.

Eyebrows raised, Gabriel followed Dean with his eyes as the other man sat down across Cas.

“Cassie, you devil. You’ve snagged yourself a ‘Dream House’ hottie too,” Gabriel said sarcastically as he sized Dean up. He never should have told him he had felt an attraction to Dean.

“Gabriel!” Cas hissed, feeling his face burning. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“I’m just kidding, bro,” Gabriel waved him off, his eyes still glued to Dean. “I’m sure Dean-o here doesn’t have a problem with that.”

“Please, can you leave us?” Cas begged. He loved his brother, but sometimes he could seriously cross a line.

“Fine. I’ll come a bit later for your orders.” With that, he turned on his heel and sauntered away.

“I’m so sorry about Gabriel,” Cas said immediately, avoiding Dean’s eyes.

To his surprise, Dean only chuckled. “It’s okay, Cas. Is he always like that?”

“Sometimes he goes overboard, but he means well. He knows my limits and he knows when to get serious. He was always there for me when I needed it.”

Dean nodded. “I get it. He’s protective over you.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“So, how are you doing? You loving the house?” Dean asked before his eyes widened slightly like he said something he wasn’t supposed to.

Confused at Dean’s reaction, Cas decided to ignore it. “I adore the house. I’ve started working on the garden too. It really is a dream come true.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“It does get a bit lonely, living in such a big house by myself,” he said. “I got used to Dorothy’s company.”

Dean’s gaze softened. “I’m sorry. I know how it is, though. My house is my greatest creation, but I hate spending too much time in it alone. And now that show is going on a prolonged hiatus, I’ll probably get sick of it.”

“I’m sure that’s not true,” Cas said. “You can always invite people over… Or go on a road trip!”

Dean laughed. “I’m also sick of traveling, so there’s that. And 90% percent of the time I spend with other people is with Sam and Charlie and they’re both busy canoodling all over the world.”

“You know, for a celebrity, you’re not a very sociable person.”

Dean shrugged. “I like being with people, but I’m very picky about my company.”

“Then I’m very glad you find me fit,” Cas smiled.

“I liked spending time with you on the show. Kinda felt bad we didn’t stay in touch.” Dean stared at the table, his ear tingled red.

“Me too,” Cas admitted.

“I guess it’s actually my fault, but I’ve had some bad experiences in the past.” Dean grimaced.

“It’s okay, Dean. You don’t have to talk about it. I just hope we can stay in touch now.”

“Yeah, man,” Dean said, visibly relaxing. “I guess the fate brought us together,” he winced. “Geez, that sounded cheesy as fuck.”

Cas laughed. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”

Dean let out an exaggerated sigh. “Phew, that’s good.”

They laughed before a loud sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted them.

“Are you ready to order, gentlemen?” Gabriel asked when they looked at him.

Cas rolled his eyes. “I’ll have coffee, black.”

“Yeah, me too.”

Gabriel shook his head. “This place is called sweet heaven, not bitter heaven, for fuck's sake. But whatever.”

Dean chuckled as he watched him go. “Funny dude.”

Two of them eased into an effortless conversation. Cas asked about Sam’s wedding and Dean described it before inquiring about Cas’s job and his love of gardening.

“There was a time when I hated my father for leaving us, but I’ve never stopped loving gardening. It helped me clear my mind. Though, I never thought I would end up with a job connected to it, but here I am. What about you? How did you start?”

“Ha, that’s a funny story. Most people think that my dad taught me how to use tools and stuff, probably because he was a mechanic, but it was actually my mom.”

Cas raised his eyebrows. “Really? How come she never talked about it?”

Dean shrugged. “That was a kinda bad time in her life. You know my mom and dad, they loved each other, they really did, but their marriage was far from perfect. Dad was gone a lot.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s all in the past,” Dean shrugged it off. “But, anyway, one day, something broke. I don’t remember what it was, but my dad wasn’t there to fix it and I guess the repairman couldn’t come or something, so my mom decided she would do it by herself,” Dean laughed. “I remember her yelling ‘Fucking men, no use for any of them’ and things like that the whole time. After that, she taught herself to repair pretty much anything and when I was old enough, I started helping her.”

Cas chuckled. “I must say I’m seeing Mary Winchester in a new light.”

Dean’s story spurred Cas into reminiscing about his own childhood. He brought up some embarrassing stories about Gabriel, and they snickered while Gabriel glared at them.

“You know what? I’m starving,” Dean said, long after they had finished their coffee. “Want to go grab a bite?”

Cas nodded; he was a bit hungry himself. “What did you have in mind?”

“Burgers?”

“Perfect. I love burgers.”

“A man after my own heart,” Dean grinned before he realized what he said and looked away blushing. An awkward silence that ensued made Cas blush too. He wasn’t sure why Dean reacted as he did, but he started to fear that Dean might have a problem with his sexuality. Dean hadn’t mentioned it, so Cas figured he was fine with it, but now he wasn’t quite so sure.

He waved in Gabriel’s direction to bring them their check. Thankfully, Gabriel must have felt the awkwardness, so he didn’t make it worse with his jokes. They paid and left the coffee shop.

“Did you have a place in mind?” Cas asked once they were outside. He was afraid Dean had changed his mind about dinner, but Dean smiled.

“I know a perfect place. The Roadhouse, have you heard of it?”

Cas shook his head. “Is it good?”

“Oh, yeah. I know the owner. Jo’s mom?”

Frowning, Cas tried to remember who this Joe was, but couldn’t. “Is Joe one of Bobby’s men?”

Dean burst into laugh. “Sorry, I forgot you didn’t meet her. Jo is the one who made the design for your house.”

“Oh,” Cas said, a bit embarrassed at his mistake, but glad that Dean was relaxed again.

Dean must have noticed his discomfort because he walked closer and squeezed his shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, man. You couldn’t have known. Did you drive here?”

“Yes.” Cas gestured to his truck. “You?”

“Yep. Wanna follow me there? It’s not too far.”

“Okay.”

Dean didn’t lie when he said The Roadhouse was close, they arrived in five minutes. While leading him inside, towards the back of the room, Dean was stopped multiple times, greeted by many people who appeared to be his friends.

“I thought you didn’t have many friends,” Cas said once they were seated.

“They aren’t really friends, but I come here often and so do they. It’d be rude to ignore them,” Dean shrugged.

A middle-aged woman approached them. “Dean, long time no see.”

“I was here yesterday, Ellen,” Dean smiled at her. “This is my friend Cas.”

The fact that Dean considered him a friend made Cas’s stomach flutter. “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise, Dean’s friends are always welcome here,” Ellen winked. “What can I get you, boys?”

“I’ll have my usual,” Dean said. “And a beer.”

“That _is_ your usual,” she said as she wrote down the order, “What about you?”

“If a burger is Dean’s usual, then I’ll have the same.”

Ellen chuckled. “I’d probably faint if I saw Dean eat anything else.”

“Hey, I eat pizza sometimes,” Dean pouted, making Cas laugh. After Ellen left, he leaned in across the table and whispered. “Don’t tell Ellen, but the food I actually eat the most is pie.”

Cas stifled another laugh. “What? Really?” He asked, feigning shock. “I never would have guessed.”

For a moment, they managed to keep straight faces before bursting into giggles. It was a well known fact how much Dean loved pie. Almost every episode of ‘Dream House’ featured him eating a piece of pie or at least talking about it. Not to mention the cover of, not one, but _two_ famous magazines on which Dean appeared with his best friend— a slice of apple pie. Even Cas knew about it and he didn’t care much for celebrities.

For the rest of the evening, Dean and Cas engaged in casual conversation, talking about their interests and hobbies. They discovered they shared a very similar taste in books, but Dean was a bigger expert on movies and music. The fact that Cas hadn’t seen some of his favorite movies didn’t deter Dean. On the contrary, he promised he would make Cas watch them all. Cas tried not to grin like a fool at the prospect.

When it came time to go home, Dean walked Cas to his car.

“I had fun today,” he said as he casually leaned against Cas’s truck.

“Me too,” Cas smiled and leaned beside Dean. “Would you- would you like to come by the house tomorrow? To see what became of it?”

“Yeah, that be great.”

“Want to come for dinner? We can order in or I can cook something…” Cas trailed off as he realized that his cooking skills were not praiseworthy. He shouldn’t have offered.

“Judging by your frown, maybe it’d be better if you didn’t cook.”

“I can make something,” Cas said indignantly. “Spaghetti?”

“Are you telling me or asking me?”

Cas rolled his eyes. “We’ll just order in.”

“Or I can come around and cook something? Maybe teach you a thing or two?” Dean nudged his shoulder.

“I can’t ask you that, Dean. You’re a guest,” Cas started to speak, but Dean gave him a side-eye glare. “Okay, fine. Do you remember the address?”

“Nope, but I remember the location. Give me your number, I’ll text you when I’m on my way.”

They exchanged numbers and with small smiles went their own ways. 

* * *

The next afternoon found them going around Cas’s house as Dean tried to guess what had been changed.

“The pictures are new,” Dean commented. “There are so many of them.”

“Yes, those are all Dorothy’s pictures from her trips.”

Dean’s eyebrows jumped up. “And you still have them?”

Cas frowned. “Yes? But I suppose Dorothy will want to take them when she moves out.”

“She still hasn’t moved out?” Dean asked, sounding frantic, making Cas even more confused. Perhaps Charlie had told him something that made him believe she and Dorothy were already living together.

“No, but I presume she will as soon as she and Charlie return from Europe.”

“So what, you’re just keeping her stuff here?”

“Not that she has much. I think you could fit all of it in two boxes,” Cas chuckled. “But, of course, I’m keeping her stuff. I’m not going to just throw them away.”

“And you’re okay with that? With her and Charlie?”

Cas shrugged. “It will get lonely, I’m sure, but it’s nothing I can’t deal with. She’ll always be my best friend.” Cas threw Dean a tiny smile before leading him to the kitchen.

“So, this is where magic happens,” Dean side-eyed Cas. “Or in your case, probably not.”

Cas pointed a finger at him. “I can make food. Just not anything fancy.”

“How did you feed yourself all these years?”

Cas shrugged. “Ordering in. Sometimes Gabe comes over, or I go to his house. In my old apartment I had a neighbor who often gave me some of her leftovers. But it’s not like I can’t cook at all. I just don’t think that whatever I made would be good enough for you.”

Dean frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well, you’re-” Cas gestured vaguely at Dean. “I’m sure you’re used to five star chefs.”

“Jesus,” Dean huffed and rolled his eyes. “Did you forget where I took you yesterday? I mean, I think Ellen is fucking awesome, but she ain’t a top chef.”

Cas shuffled uncomfortably. He didn’t mean for this to take such a serious turn. “I know, but-”

“No buts,” Dean interrupted him. “If we’re going to be friends, I want you to forget I’m famous and everything that comes with it. We have to be equals.”

Dean’s words eased Cas’s basic concern about his friendship with Dean. He was glad to hear that Dean didn’t have a problem hanging out with someone who wasn’t a celebrity like him.

“Okay,” Cas said finally.

“Great. Now, let’s get to cooking,” Dean said as he reached into the plastic bags he’d stashed in the kitchen when he arrived. “I wasn’t sure if you had everything we needed, so I bought some things. How do you feel about steak?”

* * *

For the next couple of weeks, Dean and Cas saw each other daily. Dean kept his word on educating Cas about his favorite movies despite Cas’s protests that he already knew the most important things about them.

“These are classics, Cas. You have to experience them,” Dean would always reiterate.

Most of the time they would spend at Cas’s, only occasionally going to a bar or the Roadhouse. Dean had gotten quite domesticated in Cas’s house, as he was the one who ended up cooking most often. At one point he even offered to mow the lawn.

“Dean, no. I’ll do it later.”

“C’mon, Cas. Just let me do it,” Dean begged. “You’ll be doing me a favor, trust me. I’m going out of my mind at home, just sitting around.”

“If you’re sure it’s not an inconvenience.”

Afterward they sat in the gazebo, eating their dinner and drinking beer.

“I didn’t expect this in the garden, but it’s really perfect,” Cas commented. “I love sitting here and watching the sunset. It’s relaxing.”

“You mean all this,” Dean gestured around them, “Yeah, this wasn’t in the original design, but I asked Bobby to add it.”

“Really?” Cas asked. “But, how did we pay for it?”

Dean stared into distance, lifting one shoulder. “Saved money on some other stuff. Don’t worry about it.”

Even though Cas had known Dean for a very short amount of time, he was beginning to recognize the signs of him lying. “Dean?” He growled.

“Look, it’s not a big deal,” Dean said after rolling his eyes. “I payed for it.”

“You what?” Cas yelled. “You can’t do that? That’s- that’s cheating.”

“Like I said, Cas. It’s no big deal. I came up with the idea too late and there was no more room left to save enough money, so I pitched in.”

Cas’s glare softened. He wanted to be angry at Dean, but his sheepish expression stopped him.

“Do you often buy furniture for your clients?” He joked.

“Of course not,” Dean said seriously, surprising Cas.

“Why me- us then?”

Dean shrugged. “You know I don’t make friends easily, but I liked you. We hadn’t spent much time together, but even then I wanted to be your friend. So, I thought you would like this and I asked Bobby to add it. No big deal.”

“Well, you were right. I love it,” Cas smiled, pleased by Dean’s confession. “Thank you, Dean. But I’m starting to feel guilty. You’ve done so much for me and I-”

“Cas, trust me when I say this. You’ve done a lot for me, okay? For a week after Sam’s wedding, I only left my bed to go pee. I thought the rest of the summer would be like that too, but then I ran into you and… You have no idea how much you help just by spending time with me,” Dean pointedly avoided Cas’s eyes.

Cas resisted an urge to grab Dean’s hand. “Do you want to talk about it? About whatever is bothering you?”

For a long moment, Dean didn’t say anything, so Cas presumed he didn’t want to share his troubles. He was about to change the subject when Dean spoke.

“I was jealous,” he said. “Sammy got married and then Charlie and-” Dean gestured at Cas. “All my friends have someone and I’m all alone.”

“Dean…” Cas whispered. He wasn’t sure what to say, but he could see in Dean’s eyes how much he was hurting. “I think I know how you feel. There was a time where it seemed like everyone only cared about being in a relationship. I didn’t care about it at first, but at some point I started to think there was something wrong with me— I was in my late twenties and I’d never dated. I became terribly depressed— I almost lost my job. But I got better. I realized I didn’t need to be in a relationship to be happy. I got back to things I neglected— spending time with my brother, my career. And then I met Dorothy. I’ve never had a lot of friends, but she and I got along perfectly.”

“Yeah, but now she’s with Charlie-”

Cas waved it off, “I don’t mind it. I was slightly dismayed, I must admit, but she deserves to be happy. I’m sure she’ll still be there for me when I need her. And I’ll be there for her too.”

Dean frowned at his folded hands, but didn’t say anything.

“What I’m trying to say. Don’t let this get to you. I’m absolutely sure you’ll meet someone. But until then, live your life in fullest.”

“Thanks, Cas,” Dean said. “But it’s hard to remember sometimes.”

“Well, I’ll be here to remind you.”

Dean smiled at him, but sadly. Cas wished there was more he could do.

* * *

 

“No, no, no,” Dean bellowed. “I don’t run. Ever.”

“Fine,” Cas threw his hands up. “You’re the one who said you were bored. I tried to help.”

“Isn’t it too hot for running, anyway?”

“I run early in the morning.”

“Hmm.” Dean looked thoughtful. “If I said yes, would you race me?”

Cas burst into laughter. “That really wouldn’t be fair to you.”

Dean pulled an offended expression. “What’s that supposed to mean? You think I can’t beat you.”

“Dean, I’ve been running for the past _15_ _years_. When was the last time you ran?”

“Sam made me once. A few years ago,” Dean admitted as his eyes roved down Cas’s body. “I should have known.”

Cas squirmed under the intensity of Dean’s ogling. “Know what?”

“That you’re a runner. It shows,” Dean winked and got up while Cas blinked rapidly at his obvious flirtation.

Staring at him, baffled, Cas asked, “Where are you going? Aren’t we going to watch the movie?”

“Nope, I gotta buy some clothes if I’m gonna go running with you. I can’t beat you if I’m running in my jeans.” Dean walked to the door and turned to look at him. “Are you coming?”

In a second, Cas was up on his feet and following Dean out. This man would be the death of him.


	4. Chapter 4

“You went running?”

“Yeah.”

“You, Dean Winchester, went running?” Sam repeated.

“Yes, Samantha,” Dean sighed, rolling his eyes even though his brother couldn’t see him.

“You’re whipped, man.”

“Sam,” Dean warned. “It’s not like that.”

“You must like him a little at least.”

“I do like him. As a friend.”

“Dean,” Sam said. Dean could _hear_ his bitchface over the phone. “You were drooling over him from the moment you saw him. There is no way you’re not still into him.”

Dean let out an exasperated groan. “What do you want me to say? I think he’s fucking hot and he’s really awesome, smart, funny, and kind. I have fun hanging out with him and he- he gets me.”

Sam cut in, “Yeah, not whipped at all.”

“You don’t get it, Sam. Even if I do like him, he’s still hung up on his ex.”

“How do you know?”

“He talks about her all the time-”

“Because they’re friends. You’ve told me that.”

“And don’t you think that’s weird? She left him for someone else!”

“But I thought they didn’t break up because of Charlie.”

Dean rubbed his eyes. His brother wasn’t getting it at all. “You should see him, Sammy. He gets this look of pure adoration when he talks about her. And he gets really sad sometimes.”

“There’s still a chance-”

“Look, Sammy. I don’t want to waste my time on pining for someone who will never want me back. And I sure as hell don’t want to be a _rebound_.”

“Dean-”

“Nope, end of the story. Tell me about Hawaii. Did you get sunburned?”

“We’ve barely left the room, so not really,” Sam said and Dean could picture his smug look.

“Ew, I don’t want to know about that,” he said, “Bitch.”

“Jerk,” Sam managed to get out through his laughter. “But things are going well. We decided to stay a bit longer.”

Dean ignored a pang of disappointment and smiled. “Great, but be careful. You don’t want your dick to fall off from overuse.”

Even though he couldn’t see him, Dean was sure Sam made a disgusted face. “Now _you’re_ being gross.”

* * *

 

A month after he and Cas struck up a friendship, Dean decided to get back to work. He phoned Bobby to see what he and the guys were working on and ask whether he could help. Bobby called him an idjit and told him there was always work for him.

“You can come with if you want to,” Dean told Cas that night as they ate dinner.

“I already have a job, Dean.”

“I know. But you seemed to enjoy getting sweaty and working with your hands, so I figured since you can’t get dirty in the garden as much during summer, you could help me out.”

Cas stared at him in contemplation. “Hmm, maybe you’re right. And you did go running with me.”

“Exactly!” Dean proclaimed.

“Bobby won’t mind?”

“Nah. As long as you don’t break anything expensive, you’re fine.”

“Okay, then. When are we starting?”

“Tomorrow morning. I’ll pick you up at eight.”

Cas looked away sadly. “I actually can’t tomorrow. I- It’s an anniversary of my mother’s death, so Gabe and I are going to the cemetery.”

“Oh, man. I’m sorry. I didn’t know,” Dean said and squeezed Cas’s shoulder. “Will you be okay?”

“It’s alright, Dean. Don’t worry,” Cas smiled. “Neither of us remembers her, but it’s a tradition. I’ll be fine though.”

“If you say so,” Dean said as he scrutinized Cas. When he concluded that the other man wasn’t lying, he let go of his shoulder and returned to the previous topic. “Then we’re starting on Wednesday.”

“Yes, that will be alright.”

They continued their dinner in a lighter tone until it was time for Dean to go. Every night it became harder to leave Cas. Dean wanted so badly to stay with Cas as much as he could. He sighed. Despite what he had said to Sam, Dean was very well aware he was falling hard for Cas. In such a short time, Cas had become one of his best friends and continued to grow on him day after day. He wished he could do something to stop it because he didn’t see it ending happily for him. But on the other hand, it had been ages since he felt so strongly about someone and it excited him. The flutter in his stomach and quickening heartbeat every time Cas smiled at him made him incredibly giddy and he was bent on making it happen as often as possible.

On Wednesday, he waited outside Cas’s house and his breath hitched when he saw Cas come out. His messy hair crowned his head and his unshaved beard made him look like a lumberjack. Loose jeans and a plaid shirt, which Dean never saw him wear before, didn’t help the case.

Dean made sure to mention his comparison to Cas as soon as he got in the Impala.

“Thank you,” Cas said to his surprise. “I was trying to copy _you_ , so it seems I’ve succeeded.”

“What?” Dean huffed. “I don’t dress like that.”

Cas gave him a pointed look. He glanced down at himself and realized that Cas may have had a point.

“Shut up,” he muttered.

In a response, Cas only shot him a toothy grin and Dean figured it’d been worth it.

* * *

 

Dean continued working for Bobby while Cas joined him occasionally and they fell into a new routine. Until one night, Dean decided to break it.

“The Roadhouse isn’t in that direction,” Cas said as he squinted through car’s window.

“We’re not going to the Roadhouse tonight.”

“Where are you taking me then?”

“It’s a surprise,” Dean said.

“I don’t think I like surprises,” Cas said after a few quiet moments.

“Sucks to be you, buddy,” Dean responded. “Just be patient. We’re almost there.”

True to his words, Dean stopped the car ten minutes later. In front of his house.

“Dean, is this-”

“Yep, my home sweet home,” Dean said and got out of the car. “C’mon. Dinner is waiting.”

As he led Cas inside, Dean tried his best to fight his nerves. Cas looked around in wonder.

“Dean, it’s beautiful,” he whispered.

“You ain’t seen nothing yet,” Dean said, smiling at Cas’s reaction. “Do you want a tour?”

Cas nodded and Dean walked him through the first floor before leading to the backyard porch.

“Only bedrooms are upstairs, nothing special,” Dean concluded the tour, “I thought maybe we could eat out here.”

“Of course,” Cas said and sat down. “Your house is wonderful. Thank you for bringing me here.”

Dean looked away and felt his face flush. Cas sounded so sincere and Dean didn’t know how to deal with it. “I’ll go get the food, be right back.”

As they ate, Dean told Cas about some interesting changes he made during renovations, feeling thrilled every time Cas complimented him or the house. Once the finished the meal, Dean led Cas into the living room.

“There’s something I wanted to tell you, actually,” Dean began, “About why I didn’t bring you here before.”

Cas’s gaze softened and he reached to squeeze Dean’s hand. “You don’t have to tell me, Dean. I understand that something happened in your past, but don’t feel like you’re obligated to tell me.”

“I know, Cas. Trust me, I know. That’s exactly why I wanna tell you.” Dean turned his head away, unable to hold the eye contact. “You’re my best friend and I trust you. So the thing is I had to move from my old house because I had a serious problem with a stalker.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. It was back when we’re filming season two. There was this chick, Lydia. She and her sister were clients and she and I got friendly. I asked her out, she said yes, we dated for a month. Mostly texting though, because I was busy with the show. She knew where I lived because I brought there one night, but I didn’t think anything of it at the time. But then one night she shows up, screaming at me, telling me I got her pregnant and some other crazy stuff. We only had sex once and I used a condom, so I was pretty positive that she was lying. I made her go to the doctor and he confirmed that she wasn’t pregnant, but that whole thing definitely ended up our relationship. She didn’t take it well, of course, called me all the time, texted me, stalked me around the city. But I got my lawyer involved, threatened to sue and she backed down. Or so I thought. She apparently shared my address with some of my rabid fans online and one of them decided to pay me a visit. Or several visits. I didn’t know about it until I woke up in the middle of the night and saw him looming over me.”

Cas gasped. “Did he hurt you?”

“He attacked me, but I managed to knock him down and call the police. But I couldn’t go back to that house after,” Dean brushed away one stray tear. “They found hundreds and hundreds of photos of me in my house. He’d been watching me for weeks. There were photos of me sleeping. I-” Dean tried to shake the memory away. “I felt so…”

“Violated,” Cas finished for him and Dean nodded. “Dean, that’s horrible,” Cas scooted closer and put a hand around Dean’s shoulders. “Thank you for telling me. I know hard this must have been for you.”

“I just want you to know that me not bringing you here had nothing to do with you. No one but my closest family and friends doesn’t know where my house is. I’ve never brought anyone here before. This is my safe space.”

“I’m honored you trust me enough to share this with me,” Cas smiled. “I promise that I will never break your trust.”

For the first time since this conversation began, Dean grinned. “I know, Cas. Like I said, you’re my best friend.”

Cas smiled at the floor. “Yes, I’m beginning to grasp the weight of your words. For what it’s worth, you’re my best friend too. I haven’t felt this comfortable with anyone besides my brother and Dorothy.”

Cas’s words sent warmth through Dean’s body. He opted not to say anything, and instead he pulled Cas into a hug. It was a bit awkward as they were sitting, but they quickly adjusted and melted into each other’s arms. Dean didn’t remember the last time he hugged someone- his brother not counting.

They held each other for a length that might be considered too long and when they pulled apart, they didn’t move far from each other. Cas was so close and Dean’s eyes were drawn to Cas’s chapped lips. Without realizing, he licked his own lips and leaned closer and closer and-

They jumped apart when Cas’s phone rang through the room. Cas excused himself and went into a hallway to answer it.

“Gabriel…” His voice grew too quiet for Dean to hear and Dean let out a breath he’d been holding, trying to ignore the rapid flutters in his stomach.

He tried not to freak out at the fact that he almost kissed Cas and that Cas wasn’t giving any sign of pulling away. _Breathe, Dean._ While he waited for Cas to return, he remembered all the reason why kissing Cas would be a bad thing and hoped that they could ignore it and move on.

“Dean, I’m very sorry, but I have to go,” Cas said as soon as returned. “Gabriel is in the hospital and I have to go get him.”

Getting up on his feet, Dean walked up to his friend. “Is he okay?”

“He’ll be fine. It’s only a wrist sprain,” Cas rolled his eyes. “He talked my ear off on the phone.”

“What happened?”

“He didn’t say and I’m pretty sure I don’t want to know,” Cas said and looked at Dean. “Could you drive me back home? It’s a bit far for me to walk.”

“Of course, I’ll drive you!” He grabbed his keys and hurried to the front door. “I can drive you right to the hospital too.”

“No, it’s okay. He doesn’t know when he’ll be discharged. It could be a while,” Cas said as they sat in the Impala. “I don’t want to bother you.”

“You wouldn’t be bothering me,” Dean said, but didn’t insist. He could do with some time away from Cas to cool off.

He dropped Cas at his house and went back home. The next day, Cas called him to say that Gabriel was up and running and they talked for almost an hour without any awkwardness. Neither of them mentioned the almost kiss.

* * *

A week later Dean still hadn’t stopped thinking about kissing Cas. They continued to hang out, but didn’t go to Dean’s house again. He wasn’t sure if he could handle having Cas back there and not pounce on him, so he didn’t offer and Cas didn’t ask. For the most of the time, everything was normal between them, but there were moments where the tension would rise high, making an awkward silence spread around them.

A few times he caught Cas checking him out and staring at his lips, so at least Dean was reassured the attraction he felt was a two-way street. He might have considered doing something about it if Cas hadn’t started talking about Dorothy almost constantly. Dorothy this, Dorothy that. It was driving Dean insane. Yes, they were apparently still friends, but Dean was desperate to know if Cas still had feelings for her or not— without outright asking him, of course. That would be fifty shades of awkward.

He was brimming with pent-up frustration, so he worked extra hours at Bobby’s and went running with Cas everyday instead of only once a week. Sam might have been right when he said that physical activity was a good stress relief.

On one such day, he and Cas had just finished a lap around the park when he heard someone calling his name.

“Dean, hey,” Aaron shouted and ran up to them.

“Hey, man. Long time no see.” Dean smiled. “How are you doing? How’s your grandpa?”

“Oh, he’s recovering. I’m just going to see him,” Aaron panted.

“That’s good. I’m happy everything turned out okay.” Dean noticed Cas shuffling on his feet. “This is Cas. Cas, this is Aaron.”

Aaron gave Cas a polite nod. “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Cas mumbled.

“I’m really glad I ran into you, Dean,” Aaron said as he faced Dean again. “I know I was a real dick, canceling our date last minute, but I was wondering if you could give me another chance.”

“Uh…” Dean glanced at Cas who was pointedly staring at the floor, his jaw set. “Yeah, maybe. I-I have your number,” Dean stammered, unsure what to say without sounding like an asshole.

Aaron nodded and a flash of disappointment flashed across his face. “Okay, then. I have to run now, but I hope to hear from you.” With a small wave, he was gone, leaving Cas and Dean engulfed in silence.

By an unspoken agreement, they started walking towards Cas’s house. When they reached Cas’s street, Cas spoke.

“Is he your boyfriend?”

The sound of his voice shook Dean from his thoughts. “Who, Aaron? No. He was supposed to be my date for Sam’s wedding, but he canceled.”

“Oh,” Cas said. “So you really _are_ bisexual?”

Dean tensed. “Yeah, I am. You don’t have a problem with that, do you?”

“No, of course not,” Cas assured him quickly. “I just didn’t know. Dorothy only mentioned something about it.”

“I never officially came out, but there were rumors about me dating guys few years back. Didn’t you read about it?” Dean asked. They arrived at the house and he waited for Cas to find the key.

“You know I don’t follow gossip, Dean,” Cas said and unlocked the door.

“Yeah, but didn’t you google me when we started hanging out?”

Cas shot him an offended look. “Of course not. It would feel like invading your privacy. Besides, I wanted to learn about you from the source and not through half-lies.”

Dean smiled. “You are really one of a kind, Cas.”

They got themselves bottles of water from the fridge and sat at the kitchen counters.

“So, are you going to call him?” Cas asked after a few minutes.

Dean stared at him for a moment. Even though Cas had asked it casually, there was a certain tension in his shoulders. Dean wondered if he was jealous.

“Nah, I’m not really interested in him. I mean, the only reason I asked him out in the first place was because I didn’t want to go to Sam’s wedding alone.”

“Oh,” Cas said, but Dean couldn’t read his expression.

“Yeah. I mean, I sound like an asshole, but I’m not really into him, you know?”

“I’m not judging you, Dean. You shouldn’t force it if you don’t like him.”

“Thanks, man.”

Before they could say anything else, Cas’s phone pinged. As Cas read the message he got, his face changed from serious into a full blown grin.

“Good news?” Dean asked.

“Dorothy wants to Skype tonight,” Cas said as he typed up a response. “I haven’t heard from her since she left— we only texted a bit. You can’t imagine how I miss her.”

Dean only nodded, trying to hide how hollow he felt. This was a confirmation he had needed. Maybe Cas did want to bang him, but he was definitely still in love with Dorothy and Dean didn’t think he could— or wanted— to compete with her.

As soon as he could, he excused himself and left the house. As he threw himself to his own bed, for the first time ever, he wished he had never met Cas.

  

Even in his excitement, Cas noticed that something was wrong with Dean. But he wasn’t sure if his inquiry would be welcome, so he kept quiet. He was sure Dean would tell him if it was something serious.

After Dean left, he finished writing an article and sent it to the editor. He cleaned the kitchen and took a nice warm shower. Dorothy said she’d call around seven, so he had time.

He couldn’t wait to hear her and see her face. Even though he was used to her traveling, they had never gone this long without talking or seeing each other— her usual trips were much shorter. But he understood that she was busy with Charlie and he didn’t blame her. He only missed his best friend. Even though he and Dean grew close during the last couple of months, no one would ever be able to replace Dorothy.

At seven sharp, he accepted the call and couldn’t stop the grin when he saw Dorothy’s smiling face.

“Dori, I missed you so much.”

“I missed you too, bug,” she said. “I’m really sorry I wasn’t able to call before. We were staying at cheaper hotels where there is no Internet connection.”

“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it,” he quickly reassured. “Where are you now?”

“Paris, our last stop.”

“Really? So, you’re coming back soon?”

“In two weeks. Two and a half maybe,” she said. “I have so much to tell you about, can’t wait to see you.”

“Me too.”

“So tell what you’ve been doing. You’ve mentioned Dean in your texts. Are you two still hanging out?” Dorothy gave him a knowing smirk and he couldn’t stop the blush rising on his cheeks.

“Yes, we’ve been spending a lot of time together. He’s become my best friend. Not like you, but I already can’t imagine my life without him.”

“Oh, bug,” she smiled. “Are you in love?”

“I love being in his company and I feel comfortable around him, but how can I know for sure whether I’m in love or not?”

“Do you wanna kiss him, be close to him? Do you miss him when he’s gone? Things like that.”

Cas gave it some thought. “Yes, I guess I am in love with him,” he said with a smile.

“That’s amazing,” she grinned. “What are you going to do about it? Do you think he might feel the same?”

“Maybe, but I can’t know for sure,” Cas admitted. “Something happened the other night. I think he was about to kiss me.”

Dorothy squeed. “So, he does like you.”

“Yes, possibly, but he told me some things about his past, so I think he’s holding back because of it. I’ll just wait for him to be ready.”

“And how do you feel about him… sexually?”

Feeling his face flush again, Cas looked away. “It’s embarrassing. I haven’t actually thought about it before, but after the almost kiss... I can’t stop thinking about kissing him and pushing him onto my bed and- The other day, he lifted his shirt to wipe the sweat off his face and I wanted to lick him. Lick him!”

Dorothy burst into laughter. “Oh my God, Cas.”

“And I’ve been having dreams,” he continued, ignoring her.

“Like sexy dreams?” Dorothy asked, still chuckling.

“Yes. It’s quite disturbing to know what kind of images my mind can conjure.”

“You’re not freaking out or anything, right? Because if you need me, I can come back earlier.”

“No, no,” Cas shook his head. “I’ll be fine.”

“If you’re sure.”

“I am,” he confirmed. “Now, tell me how’s Charlie.”

Dorothy’s eyes sparkled as she talked about he adventures with Charlie. Cas had never seen her so far gone on somebody and he was consumed with joy for her.

* * *

“Sammy’s coming back tomorrow,” Dean said one evening as they ate their dinner.

“That’s great, Dean! I know you’ve missed him.”

“Yeah, can’t wait to see them. I’m picking them up from the airport and we’re having dinner together, so I won’t be around tomorrow.”

“Of course.”

“But, um… You can come with if you want.”

Cas raised his eyebrows. “I don’t want to intrude, Dean. It’s a family affair.”

“You wouldn’t be intruding, Cas. I want you there.”

“Okay, then. If you’re sure they won’t have a problem with it.”

Dean rolled his eyes. “Of course they won’t. Their plane is supposed to arrive at four, so I’ll pick you up at three?”

“I’ll be ready.”

They washed the dishes together and made their way to the living room. Dean had promised to introduce him to the wonders of Indiana Jones. He had looked so excited and Cas didn’t have the heart to tell him that he’d already seen those movies.

“So, what did you think?” Dean turned to him when the movie finished.

“It was good, but I don’t think I likeD it as much as you do,” Cas smirked and leaned closer. “In fact, I think you have a crush on Harrison Ford.”

Dean scoffed. “What? I do not. I mean, yeah, he was hot, but-” Cas laughed and Dean bumped their shoulders together. “Shut up.”

“I didn’t say anything,” Cas said and smiled. His knee brushed against Dean’s and Cas realized they had inched closer to each other.

“You were thinking it,” Dean said in a low voice, his eyes fixated to Cas’s lips.

Swallowing hard, Cas dared to lift his hand and put it on Dean’s cheek. “Dean…”

“Cas,” Dean pressed into the touch and his eyes fluttered closed.  “I-”

“Please,” Cas whispered.

After a beat, Dean nodded slowly and Cas leaned in until their lips met. For a moment, they only held their lips pressed together, until Cas grew bolder and started moving his mouth. He shifted in his seat and his other hand ended up on Dean’s neck where he could feel his racing pulse. After a few moments of soft and uncertain kisses, Dean relaxed, turned fully towards Cas and wrapped his own hands around him, bringing them closer. Gradually, the kisses grew stronger and more passionate. At the first touch of Dean’s tongue, Cas gasped, allowing Dean further access.

When Cas felt Dean pushing him down into the couch, he broke off the kiss. He was about to tell Dean he didn’t want to have sex quite yet, in case Dean thought that was where they were going, but he was stopped by Dean’s wide eyes.

“Dean, are you alright?”

Shaking his head, Dean put some space between them, “No, I- I can’t, Cas. I’m sorry, but I can’t.” Before Cas could say anything, Dean was on his feet, grabbing his stuff.

“Dean!” Cas got up and shouted after him, but without a glance at him, Dean dashed to the door, leaving behind confused Cas.

Slumping back into his couch, Cas tried to remember what he had done wrong. He concluded that they had moved too fast, but hopefully they would talk it out tomorrow and he was sure everything would be alright. Not feeling like doing anything, he retreated to bed.

His optimism shattered the next day, though, when Dean didn’t answer his texts or calls and didn’t come pick him up for dinner with Sam and Eileen. Only then did Cas let himself cry.


	5. Chapter 5

Dean didn’t sleep a wink. His mind was filled with images of Cas’s mouth and his lust blown eyes. He could still feel the press of the lips against his.

Cas tried to call him during the day, but Dean put his phone on silent and deleted any messages without reading them. He just couldn’t bring himself to talk to him.

As he drove to the airport, he tried to push back the thoughts of Cas. Putting on his biggest smile, he welcomed Sam and Eileen back home and drove them to a restaurant. At first he had planned to make dinner himself, but after yesterday he wasn’t in the mood for cooking.

He managed to forget his problems while Sam and Eileen recounted what they had done on their honeymoon. At least until Sam brought Cas up. “Why didn’t you bring Cas? I’d love to meet him properly.”

Eileen nodded as she read Sam’s lips. “Me too. Sam told me you two are really close now.”

Dean pursed his lip and shrugged. “He’s busy.”

Sam and Eileen exchanged glances, but didn’t push further. At one point, Sam excused himself to the bathroom and Eileen pinned him with a knowing gaze.

“So,” she began. “You and Cas?”

“What about me and Cas?”

“Sam told me you’re in love with him.”

Dean raised his eyebrows at her directness. “I never told Sam that.”

“He knows you,” Eileen said. “Besides, the moment Sam mentioned him, you looked like someone stabbed you. Did something happen?”

With his gaze fixed to the table, Dean realized there was no point in beating around the bush. “We kissed,” he said while making sure Eileen could see his mouth.

“Ok. Isn’t that a good thing?”

“No,” he said, louder than he meant to and glanced around to see if he had disturbed anyone. “I totally freaked out and ran out on him.”

“Why?”

“He’s still in love with his ex,” Dean grumbled.

“Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure! He talks about her all the time, he’s got bunch of her stuff at his house, and he literally told me he misses her.” He took a deep breath to calm himself. “He told me how important she was to him and how good friends they are. There’s no freaking way he is over her.”

“But he likes you too. If he kissed you?”

“Sure, he wants to get in my pants. That doesn’t mean he lo-loves me.”

“Like you love him,” Eileen said and it wasn’t a question.

“Yes,” he said, not even attempting to lie. “I tried not to, but he’s so- dammit. It’s impossible not to love him.”

“Oh, Dean,” she said. “I’m really sorry you’re hurting. You should know, me and Sam are always there for you.”

“Thanks,” he managed a weak smile. “I know. Where is the moose, anyway?”

“He’s waiting for me to text him. I wanted to talk to you alone.”

Dean shook his head, amused. “I should have known.”

Eileen smiled briefly before turning solemn. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but I think you need to talk to Cas.”

“I can’t do that.”

“He’s probably hurting too, Dean. You two became close friends, didn’t you?” At his nod, she continued. “For the sake of your friendship, don’t you think you should at least talk it out before making decisions about parting ways?”

Dean sank down in his chair and rubbed his eyes. It _was_ a dick move, running away without an explanation, but he wasn’t sure he could handle a conversation with Cas just yet.

“I’ll talk to him,” he promised. “But I need a few days to think first.”

Eileen seemed satisfied with his answer, so she pulled out her phone and texted Sam.

“You good?” His brother asked when he returned to the table.

“Not really,” he said and when Eileen gave him an encouraging nod, Dean told Sam about everything that had happened with Cas.

* * *

Despite his promise, Dean hadn’t called Cas for more than a week. He had calmed down a bit after a few days, realizing that there was a chance for them to retain their friendship if he explained everything. But then the guilt kicked in and the more time passed, the harder it was to pick up the phone.

That was what he always did— he cut contact with someone and then didn’t have the strength to talk to them again unless they approached him first. But after the second day, Cas had stopped trying to contact him, so Dean wondered if that meant he had completely given up and if he should stop hoping that they would repair their relationship. He wondered if Cas missed him at all.

He was watching reruns of Doctor Sexy when there was a knock on his door. For a brief moment, a spark of hope ran through him at the prospect of it being Cas.

As he opened the door, he saw a flash of red before he was being squeezed to death.

“Charlie,” he managed to squeak out.

“I missed you,” she said as she let go of him and promptly punched him in the arm.

“Ouch, what was that for?”

“For not answering any of my texts, asshole.”

“That’s not true,” Dean said as he rubbed his arm. “I answered.”

“‘Okay’, ‘Fine’ and ‘Looks good’ don’t count,” Charlie said as she pushed her way inside.

Dean followed her to the living room. “I didn’t know you were coming back.”

Charlie arched an eyebrow. “When was the last time you checked your phone? I texted you this morning.”

“Sorry,” Dean rubbed the back of his neck. If he was completely honest with himself, he didn’t even know where his phone was. “I’m not really myself these days.”

“Yeah Sam, um, told me about what happened with you and Cas.” Charlie said and caught his eyes. “Dean, there’s been a serious misunderstanding here and it’s all my fault, but don’t get angry until I tell you everything, okay?”

“What are you talking about?” He frowned at her serious and slightly scared tone.

“Okay, first of all, Dorothy and Cas have never dated.”

Dean sat straighter, “ _What?!_ ”

“They were pretending for the show, so his aunt would give them money for the house. She and I hooked up during the last week of filming after she admitted the truth and I agreed to keep it quiet until the episode aired, so they wouldn’t get in trouble. But you see, I-I thought I was supposed to keep only _our relationship_ under wraps until then, but _never_ tell the _whole_ truth— about them fake dating and stuff. That is why I told you they broke up,” Charlie said in one breath.

“Wait, hold up,” Dean said, more than confused. “Why didn’t he tell me about it?”

“I’ve never actually told Dorothy that I lied to you, only that I ‘took care of it’. Like I said, I thought I was never supposed to tell anyone about the fake relationship, but she presumed I told you the truth and that’s what she told Cas. All this time, he thought you knew.”

Dean rubbed his forehead. “Are you fucking kidding me? Why didn’t _you_ say something?”

“We only realized it this morning when she was telling me about how you broke Cas’s heart. Dean, I’m really sorry. But you can fix this, okay. Dorothy is at Cas’s telling him the same thing. He’ll understand.”

“This is messed up, Charlie,” he shook his head. “I thought he was in love with Dorothy. The way he talked about her…”

“They are very important to each other,” Charlie shrugged.

“They were never together,” he said as he stared at the coffee table.

“Nope.”

“We spent hours in each other’s company, almost every fucking day, and we never realized we’re not on the same page.”

“Yeah, that is a bit weird,” Charlie agreed. “Dean, I really am sorry. This wouldn’t have happened if I haven’t been so lost in my own world.”

“Charlie, this is not just on you,” Dean said and she sent him an unconvinced look. “Do you think he’ll forgive me?”

“Yeah, dude. Judging by what Dorothy told me, he’s completely gone on you.”

In spite of everything, Dean couldn’t stop a goofy grin as he looked down and flushed.

“And judging by your reaction, you’re just as gone as he is.”

“I love him, Charlie,” Dean admitted.

“Great, now go get him,” she said as she got up and started raising him up on his feet.

“What, now?! I can’t- I-I-”

“Dean, don’t you think he’s waited enough?”

Relenting, Dean nodded. “Yeah, okay. I’m- I’m scared.”

Charlie gave him a soft look and pulled him into another hug. “I know, but it will be fine.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t answer your texts.”

“I got you into this mess, so I think we’re even,” she said as they parted. “But once you and Cas have kissed and made up, you and I will have a serious talk about your mental state.”

Dean rolled his eyes. “Of course we will.”

  

“How is that possible?” Cas asked as he stared at Dorothy.

“Charlie never told me what she had said to him and I never thought to ask. I’m sorry, bug, this is on us.”

Cas shook his head. “No, no. We talked about everything, but this _never_ came up. How is that possible?” He repeated.

Dorothy shrugged. “I don’t know, but now you can talk it out. Charlie is at his house and she’ll bring him here.”

“Are you sure? He’s been avoiding me for days.”

“Because of the misunderstanding.”

Cas chewed his lower lip. “What if it’s more than that? It can’t be just because he thought you were my ex. I think he realized he could find someone better-”

“No!” Dorothy growled. “I will not let you belittle yourself. You’re amazing and you deserve to be happy.”

Cas nodded, but he wasn’t completely convinced.

“God, I bet you’ve been stewing in self-loathing all this time,” Dorothy continued. “Why didn’t you call me earlier? You know I would have come back immediately.”

“I didn’t want to bother you,” he said.

“Bug, you’ll never bother me.”

“Thank you, Dori,” Cas sent her a small smile.  “I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“Don’t thank me!” She exclaimed. “If I took one second to talk to Charlie about this, none of this would’ve happened.”

“Please don’t feel bad. Yes, we’re in a quite messy situation, but I don’t blame either of you. You have to know that.”

“Of course I know that. You’re too nice for that,” she said, but a small smile pulled up on her face.

Cas opened his mouth to respond when there was a rapid knock on his door.

“That’s him. See, I told you,” Dorothy grinned. “C’mon.”

They walked together to the hallway and Dorothy hovered behind him as he opened the door. He was met with Dean’s red-rimmed green eyes. Oh, how he had missed him.

“Hello, Dean.”

“Hey, Cas,” Dean smiled briefly. “I think we need to talk.”

“Yes, we do. Come in.”

Dean brushed past him and Cas shivered at the contact.

“Hey, Dorothy,” Dean mumbled. “Charlie said she’ll meet you at her house.”

“Got it,” Dorothy nodded. “I’ll see you later, guys.” She squeezed Cas’s shoulder and left.

After a beat Cas broke the silence, “Let’s sit.”

They settled on the couch, not looking at each other. For several moments, neither of them spoke until Dean cleared his throat.

“So, I guess I’ll start,” he said. “I’m sorry for ignoring you. I guess if I hadn’t been such a chicken, we could have figured out this sooner.”

“Why _did_ you ignore me?” Cas asked. “At first I thought maybe it was because of your past that you ran out on me, but when you kept ignoring my texts, I thought it might have been because of me. Because you realized I’m not good enough for you.”

In a blink, Dean scooted closer and grabbed Cas’s hand in both of his. “No. Don’t ever think that, Cas. I’m sorry I made you think that, but it’s so far from the truth. Opposite of the truth, actually. I thought you were still in love with Dorothy and I was sure you’d never feel about me like I felt about you.”

Cas’s heart fluttered at the intensity of Dean’s voice. “And how do you feel about me?”

“I-” Dean looked away for a second before locking his eyes to Cas’s. “I love you.”

For the first time in days, Cas grinned. “I love you too, Dean.”

“Yeah?” Dean breathed out, his mouth forming a smile of his own.

“Yes.”

“Where do we go from there?”

“We need to talk about everything. How much did Charlie tell you?”

“Not much, she only told me about you and Dorothy fake dating and you thinking I know about it.”

Cas chuckled. “I still can’t believe we’ve managed to spend so much time together without it coming up in a conversation.”

Dean shrugged. “I guess I avoided it because I thought it would be a sore subject for you. And the few times we talked about it, I never realized we’re talking about two different things.”

“Well, I never said anything either. Dorothy told me you reacted poorly at the wedding, so when you didn’t mention it, I thought it’d be better not to talk about it. I didn’t want you to get angry.”

“I was mad on your behalf at the wedding FYI,” Dean said.

“Thank you,” Cas bowed his head, smiling.

Cas proceeded to tell Dean everything, starting with Amara’s proposition and his sexuality and concluding with the night they kissed.

“I really liked it,” he admitted with a blush. “I’ve never experienced that with anyone.”

“Because you’re… demisexual, right?” Dean asked with a thoughtful face. “I’ll have to look that up. I’ve never actually heard of it.”

“Not many people have,” Cas said. “You don’t mind?”

“No, of course not.”

“It’s just, if we… enter a relationship, we’ll need to take it slow. I don’t think I’m ready for sex.”

“Cas, I’ll wait as long as you need,” Dean said, rubbing circles on Cas’s hand. “And if you decide you don’t want to have sex ever, I’ll be okay with that. I just want to be with you.”

“Thank you, Dean,” Cas said and brushed his free hand along Dean’s jaw. “You have no idea how happy that makes me.”

“So, how about I tell you my side of the story.” Dean said and proceeded to do exactly that.

Cas felt guilty when he heard how much Dean had suffered every time he mentioned Dorothy, but Dean quickly reassured him that it wasn’t his fault.

“You must know that Dorothy is incredibly important to me. It’s a reason why I was comfortable fake dating her. I don’t think I could do it with anyone else.”

“I get it now,” Dean said. “But I had myself so convinced that you were just waiting for her to break up with Charlie and come back to you.”

“So you ran?”

“Yeah. You have no idea how that kiss messed me up. Couldn’t stop thinking about your lips for days,” Dean said with his eyes zoned in on said lips.

“I think I have some idea,” Cas said as he started to lean in.

Suddenly, Dean recoiled. “Wait! Shouldn’t we talk about this?”

“Dean, we’ve been talking for the past two hours. Anything else can wait until tomorrow,” Cas said as he curled his hands around Dean’s neck. “Right now, I want- I _need_ to kiss you. If you’re okay with that?”

“Hell yeah, I’m okay with that,” Dean said and closed the distance between them.

This kiss was more confident and deeper than the first one. There was no hesitation. They enjoyed the taste of each other, the press of their bodies together, the breathy moans they let out. Arousal shot through his body, but he ignored it.

When they finally pulled apart, he asked, “Dean, will you spend the night?”

“I thought you said you didn’t want-”

“No, not for- I just want to sleep beside you.”

“I think I can do that, sweetheart.” Dean smiled and pecked his lips once again before taking his hand and leading him to the bedroom.

  

There was a weight on his chest. Frowning, Dean forced his eyes open and he was met with the sight of messy brown hair. Smiling, he wrapped his arms tighter around Cas.

“Good morning, Dean,” Cas murmured into Dean’s chest.

“Morning, sunshine. You sleep well?”

Cas hummed.

“Wanna go have some breakfast?”

“No.”

Amused, Dean ran his fingers through Cas’s hair. “Do you plan on leaving your bed anytime soon?”

“No,” Cas gruffed. “I’m keeping you here forever.”

“That doesn’t so bad actually.”

“Mhm, go back to sleep, Dean.”

Dean did not, in fact, go back to sleep. He had been emotionally drained last night, so sleep overtook him, but now he was well rested and the man he loved was in his arms. There was no way he could fall asleep.

For the first time in months, Dean felt like a weight was lifted off his chest. He knew, in that moment, that this was his future. Cas was his future and Dean couldn’t wait to live it.


	6. Epilogue

Cas took a deep breath and pushed open the front door, Dean’s warm presence behind him giving him courage.

“Aunt Amara,” he called out. “Are you home?”

He found his aunt in the kitchen drinking a glass of wine.

“Castiel,” she said when she noticed him. Her eyes darted to Dean and widened. “Oh, Dean. Hello,” she said, her voice dripping with confusion.

“Hi, nice to meet you,” Dean waved. “Heard you’re a fan of mine.”

“Yes, I am,” Amara walked closer to them. “I must admit I was very disappointed when I heard both you and Sam had left the show.”

From the corner of his eye, Cas saw Dean shrug. “We’ve decided to move on to other things. I’m sure the show will work without us.”

“Oh, well, I’m absolutely sure it will never be the same,” Amara smirked. “Not to be rude, but what are you doing here? Castiel, I didn’t know you were going to visit. Or bring a guest,” she added, looking at Dean from the corner of her eye.

“I wanted to surprise you,” Cas answered. “There’s something I have to tell you actually.”

Dean put a comforting hand on his shoulder and Cas took a deep breath.

“Dean and I are dating,” he got out in a rush.

Amara raised an eyebrow and stared at them before grinning. “Well, that’s amazing news. You do have an amazing taste in men.” As she spoke, her eyes traveled down Dean’s body. When she licked her lips, Cas felt Dean shift uncomfortably on his feet.

Ignoring the obvious attraction Amara had for Dean, Cas inquired further. “You don’t have a problem with this? With me dating a man?”

“Of course not.” Amara walked towards the kitchen cabinet and grabbed two more glasses. “Let’s take this to the living room.”

She walked out of the room and Cas immediately turned his eyes to Dean, who gave him a half-shrug. “This is good, right?”

“I did not expect this reaction,” Cas admitted before he led them after his aunt.

Once they have settled and Amara poured them both a glass, she asked, “So, how long have you been dating?”

“Almost a year,” Cas answered.

This time, there was a visible reaction as she tensed and pursed her lips. “A year? And you waited this long to tell me?” To anyone else, she might have sounded calm and collected, but from his experiences Cas knew she was angry.

“I was scared of your reaction,” Cas said firmly. It was time he stood up for himself. “I didn’t want you to cut me off from your life.”

Something in his tone must have gotten to her because she relaxed. “What changed?”

Glancing at Dean, he met his eyes and grinned. “I’m happy. I am _so_ happy and I wanted to share that with you. And if you don’t approve, I would have to learn to deal with it.”

Amara smiled. “You’re in love.”

“I am,” Cas proudly announced, “Dean is the love of my life.” He glanced at Dean to see him grinning and mouthing ‘You too’.

“I’m very happy for you,” she said after a few moments of observing them. “How did you manage to hide your relationship from the media for so long?”

“Oh, I’m very good at keeping my life private,” Dean said.

Amara nodded absentmindedly, lost in her thoughts. “Dean, darling, could you give me and Castiel a moment?”

They raised an eyebrow at her request, but Cas gave him a nod, so Dean got up. “Okay, then. I’ll be in the kitchen.”

Amara waited until Dean was out of earshot before she spoke. “Castiel, I’m sorry for making you feel like you have to hide a part of you. That was never my intention. You know I love you, right?”

“Oh. Um, yes?” His answer came out like a question and Amara sighed.

“I know I was hard on you, but I was sure you knew all of it was out of love. Now I realize I’ve made a mistake.”

“You really don’t have to explain yourself-”

“Did you know your father and I practically raised each other? He was the most important person in my life. When he left, I was-” She cut herself off. “You and Gabriel are the only thing I have left of him and I’m sorry I made you think I didn’t care.”

Cas swallowed hard. “I accept your apology. I admit there were times when I didn’t think I could ever please you, but not for a moment did I think you hated me. If it weren’t for you, who knows where Gabriel and I would have ended up. We are both grateful for you.”

Amara smiled and rubbed the corner of her eyes, brushing off what it seemed like a tear. She got up and spread her arms. “Come here, nephew. If there was ever time for a hug, this is it.”

Without hesitation, Cas accepted the offer, enjoying the affection his aunt was giving. He had never imagined this day going like this and he couldn’t be happier he’d been wrong.

When they pulled apart, Cas asked, “Would you like go to dinner with me and Dean? It’s on us.”

“I’d like that. Let me get dressed and we can go.” She hurried to her bedroom and Cas went to find Dean.

“Everything okay?” Dean asked as soon as he saw him.

“Yes, she apologized for being tough on me over the years. We even hugged.”

“Wow, so things went _much_ better than you thought.”

“They did,” Cas admitted as he walked up to his boyfriend. He put his hands on Dean’s hips and pulled him closer. “Thank you for being here for me.”

“What kind of boyfriend would I be if I wasn’t there when you need me?” Dean grinned. “I’m really glad your aunt is cool with us. Even though she’s kinda into me.”

Cas sighed. “Yes, that’s a bit weird. Hopefully she’ll get over it.”

“She’d better, because I’m yours and no one else’s,” Dean said and kissed him.

  

A month ago, after more than a year of dating, they had moved in together. Or, to be more precise, Dean had moved into Cas’s house. It was the place they had spent most of their time together, so it felt right. Besides, Dean’s emotional investment in his own house had diminished. It only reminded him of his loneliness.

Despite his hope that he would magically become happy once he started dating Cas, his mental state hadn’t improved until Cas, Sam and Charlie made him go see a therapist. He hated to admit it, but it helped a lot. After a while, he was even able to rekindle his old friendships.

“Honey, I’m home,” he yelled as he entered their house.

“In the living room,” came Cas’s muffled response.

Dean shuffled into the living room and found Cas curled up on the couch reading a book.

“Did you miss me?” Dean asked as he cuddled up to Cas.

“Yes, I missed you these two hours that you were gone,” Cas deadpanned.

Pouting, Dean huffed. “Well, that was rude.”

“I’m sorry,” Cas said and put down the book, pulling Dean into his arms. “How did the meeting go?”

“Good, we’re officially up and running.”

“Dean, that’s amazing,” Cas exclaimed. Turning around, Dean sought a celebratory kiss, which Cas gladly gave him.

Charlie had quit the show not long after her return to the states and she and Dorothy had managed to pitch their own show about travelling. Dean and Sam hadn’t liked the new producer, so after Eileen got pregnant, Sam had decided to follow Charlie’s step. Not wanting to continue without his brother, Dean had left as well. He didn’t feel like going into acting, so he and Bobby had teamed up to open a renovation company.

Dean moaned as Cas pushed him into the couch. “Should we take this into the bedroom?”

“No,” Cas growled as he nipped at Dean’s neck. “Here’s fine.”

It took them several months to reach the sex stage of their relationship, but once they did, it turned out Cas was one kinky son of a bitch. Not that Dean minded in the slightest.

Suddenly, Cas got up and pulled Dean up. “How about here?” He asked as he pushed Dean on the rug in front of the fireplace and settled on top of him.

“Cas,” Dean whined. “Don’t you think we’re too old for sex on the floor?” Despite his words, he buried his hands in Cas’s hair and dragged him closer.

“You don’t think you can handle it?” Cas teased before returning his lips to Dean’s neck. One of his hands sneaked beneath Dean’s shirt and tweaked his nipple, drawing out a loud moan from Dean.

“You dick,” Dean muttered before rolling them over and straddling Cas.

“Is this how it’s going to be?” Cas asked and thrust his hips up, rubbing their growing erections together. “You want to fuck me?”

Dean groaned. “Later, baby. Right now, I’m gonna ride your dick until neither of us can fucking walk anymore.”

Letting out a groan of his own, Cas started to tug on his clothes. “Then you better get out of this. Now!”

The heat spread through his body at Cas’s gruff command and he swiftly obeyed. Cas followed suit and they found themselves gloriously naked, their hands roaming all over each other.

“Go get the lube,” Cas whispered in his ear.

“Ugh, the bedroom’s so far away,” Dean whined, but obeyed. “We should just keep lube in every room,” he said as he got back and straddled Cas once again.

Cas laughed. “Knowing our luck, Sam would find it and you know how he reacted when he found our toys.”

“Good point.” Chuckling, Dean poured some of the lube on his fingers and reached behind himself, pushing a finger inside.

“I want to do it,” Cas said and one of his fingers joined Dean’s.

Last night, Cas had pounded him into the mattress, so he didn’t need a lot of prep, but Cas always liked to make sure he wouldn’t cause any pain, stretching him out until he was begging for cock. Still, Dean couldn’t complain— he did the same every time he was the one in control.

His cock was hard and leaking, but he didn’t touch it. Not yet.

“Cas, c’mon. I’m ready,” he said and pushed back at the fingers in his hole. “I’m, ah, so ready.”

Thrusting his fingers deeper and brushing them against Dean’s prostate, Cas slapped Dean’s ass with his other hand. “Patience, Dean. You’re ready when I say you’re ready.”

Dean moaned and writhed on Cas’s lap. “Fuck.”

“In a minute,” Cas grinned.

“How about right now,” Dean said as he batted Cas’s hands away and grabbed his cock, lining it up with his hole. “You’re so hard, baby.”

Cas ran his hands up Dean’s chest, “How could I not be? You’re breathtaking.”

No matter how many times Cas complimented him, Dean would never be able to take it without blushing. Trying to hide his reddening face, he leaned down and pressed his lips to Cas’s before sliding onto his dick. They both let out throaty groans. After a moment of adjustment, Dean started bouncing up and down, his hands braced on Cas’s firm pecs. 

“Oh, Dean,” Cas cried, his own hands wandering over Dean’s body, before settling on Dean’s ass cheeks. He squeezed them, urging Dean to move faster. 

“Fuck, Cas,” Dean breathed out, enjoying the constant pressure against his prostate, “You feel so fucking good, sweetheart.”

Cas bent his knees and started rocking into Dean, harder and deeper. “You’re such a good boy for me, Dean. You love it don’t you? You love my cock.”

“Yes, yes, yes,” Dean whimpered. “I love it, I love it. God-”

“Are you going to come?”

“Yeah,” Dean gasped and threw his head back in pleasure.

Cas wrapped his fingers around Dean’s cock and started jerking him in time with his powerful thrusts. “Come for me, Dean. Come all over me.”

“Cas,” Dean moaned and after a couple of brushes of Cas’s cock against his prostate, he painted Cas’s chest. He continued to push back, riding out his orgasm, and promptly crashed down on Cas’s chest.

“Good boy,” Cas said, wrapping his arms around him, and thrust inside him a few more times, chasing his own peak. Using all the energy he had left, Dean squeezed his hole around Cas’s dick, eliciting a groan from him as spilled his load inside Dean. They both panted, trying to catch their breath. When their eyes met, they shared a smile.

“I love you,” Cas murmured, rubbing his nose against Dean’s.

“Love you too.”

Dean kissed him. He was gentle at first, but it quickly turned into a make out session and Dean felt Cas’s cock, which was still inside him, get hard. The sensation made Dean’s own cock stir in interest.   It seemed like they were in for a several rounds tonight.

 

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked it, please, leave kudos or comment! And don't forget to check out [the art](http://dreymart.tumblr.com/post/167558060454/here-we-go-again-this-was-my-first-time-making-a). 
> 
> Find me on [tumblr](http://breathingdestiel.tumblr.com).


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